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Paramedics and EMTs Under Staggering Stress in Era of Disease and Disruption

Paramedic Steve Kleinberg plans to retire next month after 15 years on the job, even though he hasn't accrued enough time to reach full pension benefits.

Paramedic Steve Kleinberg plans to retire next month after 15 years on the job, even though he hasn't accrued enough time to reach full pension benefits.

"I want to leave in one piece, with my health intact," said Kleinberg, 56, who works out of FDNY EMS Station 39 in East New York, Brooklyn.

"The second [COVID] wave that I believe is coming definitely hastened my decision," he added. "The insane call volume, the hours, having to be hypervigilant all the time to protect my wife — it was a lot. I personally never felt overwhelmed, but it was a lot. At the peak of the virus in the city, it was like a tsunami."

Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY An FDNY ambulance rushes through Bed-Stuy during the coronavirus outbreak, March 31, 2020. Paramedic Steve Kleinberg plans to retire next month after 15 years on the job, even though he hasn't accrued enough time to reach full pension benefits.

"I want to leave in one piece, with [...]




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