The day begins with calls to the dispatch center. Linze Thompson, 26, records information: the state of patients’ health, their coronavirus test results and safety precautions the E.M.T.s must take.
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA – From left: Deandre Predom, 31, and Omar De La Torre, 24, receive a transfer call for a dialysis patient inside their rig near AmWest headquarters in North Hollywood on Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020. Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times Assignment ID: NYTCREDIT: Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times
The dispatcher notes an estimated time for patient pickup and contacts the crew on call. Crews time each transport down to the minute.
WEST COVINA, CA – Joshua Berrios, 30, dons protective gear ahead of transferring a COVID-19 positive patient from an assisted living home in West Covina to a nursing home in Hollywood on Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020. Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times Assignment ID: NYTCREDIT: Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times
Once on location, Joshua Berrios, 30, dons a mask, gown, face shield, goggles and gloves. The E.M.T.s approach each scene as if the patient were positive for the coronavirus.
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA – Javier De La Cruz checks the blood pressure of a possible COVID-19 patient at a convalescent home in North Hollywood on Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020. Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times Assignment ID: NYTCREDIT: Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times
Javier De La Cruz, 23, checks each patient’s vital signs three times: when the E.M.T.s arrive, while in the ambulance and when the crew reaches its destination.
After every run, Mr. De La Cruz disinfects the back of the ambulance — from the seatbelts that strap patients to gurneys to the rig’s floor. It’s a standard protocol that has taken on new importance during the pandemic.
LOS ANGELES, CA – A dispatcher with AmWest Ambulance takes a call from a private institution regarding a COVID-19 patient pickup and transfer to a nearby hospital early on the morning of on Thursday Dec. 10, 2020. Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times Assignment ID: 30251555A NYTCREDIT: Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times
Emergency medical technicians for Amwest Ambulance have worked with coronavirus patients in Los Angeles since March. During this surge of cases in California, roughly 40 percent of the patients they transport are considered “Covid-19 probable.”
LOS ANGELES, CA – Joshua Berrios, 30, on Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020. Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times Assignment ID: 30251717A NYTCREDIT: Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times
Brian Fula-Napoli, an Amwest manager, says the company’s costs have risen 25 to 30 percent because of the cost of supplies. If the trend continues, he worries there may be fewer private ambulance companies in the future.
HOLLYWOOD, CA – From left: Joshua Berrios, 30, helps his partner, Alexander Stevens, transfer a COVID-19 patient’s into a nursing home in Hollywood on Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020. Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times Assignment ID: 30251555A NYTCREDIT: Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times
Sometimes E.M.T. crews must wait four to six hours to find a bed in a hospital that will accept their patients’ insurance or where their doctors have privileges.
SHERMAN OAKS, CA – Javier De La Cruz, center, greets another AmWest Ambulance EMT as he and a patient wait outside the Sherman Oaks Hospital emergency room on Wednesday Dec. 9, 2020. The AmWest EMTs have formed closer relationships with their colleagues and partners during the pandemic, as a new level of trust has been built in order to keep each other safe around COVID-19 positive patients. Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times Assignment ID: NYTCREDIT: Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times
Crews have developed close relationships since the pandemic began in March. Many request certain partners, Mr. Fula-Napoli said, since they know each other’s working style and personalities. They have built up trust.
