WHITE PLAINS – Saying first responders on “on the frontlines of dealing with an invisible killer,” the president of the Affiliated Associations of Westchester County said his organization has begun a petition calling for hazard pay while they work during COVID-19.
“First responders are accustomed to risking their lives on a regular basis,” said Yonkers PBA President Keith Olson, president of the county-wide association. “Whether it’s police officers racing towards gunfire and taking down armed and dangerous suspects or firefighters rushing into a home that is fully engulfed in flames, it is what we are trained to and we are honored to do it. However, the coronavirus pandemic has brought on unforeseen hazards and challenges that most of us thought we’d never see.”
Olson said those first responders are now on the frontlines dealing with an invisible killer.”
He said not a day goes by when police officers, firefighters or EMS workers test positive for COVID-19 “and sadly, many of them have lost their lives.” He said the personnel are also put in the position of bringing the virus home to their loved ones.
“This is a horrifying and unprecedented predicament and that is why first responders deserve extra compensation in the form of hazard pay,” Olson said.
