'Anybody who says they're not scared during this is lying to you.'




On April 22, 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, I rode along with the paramedics of St. Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson, N.J., for CNN.

I tagged along with Alex Storzillo and Jim Incorvaia, childhood friends and paramedic partners, as they saved lives on the streets of Paterson.

The full article, with my words and video, can be found here.

Paterson, a city of 146,000 people some 20 miles northwest of New York City, is statistically positioned to be hard hit by the pandemic.

Pitted against a disease that disproportionately affects both communities of color and those below the poverty line, the health care workers of Paterson have their work cut out for them. As of the last U.S. Census, 26% of Paterson's population identified as black or African American, and 60% identified as Hispanic or Latino. Twenty-eight percent of the population reported being below the poverty line.

"You see stuff here that you don't see anywhere else," Storzillo told me. "People dying from asthma, severe, severe asthmatics, and it puts this population at an incredibly higher risk for Covid-19."

Paramedic Jim Incorvaia ties the straps on his friend and partner Alex Storzillo's gown, preparing to enter a house with a suspected COVID-19 patient. "I made a pledge with my partner that we'll do the same thing for every call," Storzillo said that morni
Paramedic Jim Incorvaia ties the straps on his friend and partner Alex Storzillo's gown, preparing to enter a house with a suspected COVID-19 patient. "I made a pledge with my partner that we'll do the same thing for every call," Storzillo said that morning. "Ultimately it comes down to my partner and I to keep each other safe."
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Paramedic Jim Incorvaia prepares medication during a so-called "Rapid Sequence Intubation," a field-intubation that Incorvaia described as "the most high risk procedure we can do in this job." It is also among the most dangerous procedures in terms of pot
Paramedic Jim Incorvaia prepares medication during a so-called "Rapid Sequence Intubation," a field-intubation that Incorvaia described as "the most high risk procedure we can do in this job." It is also among the most dangerous procedures in terms of potentially spreading COVID-19.
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In between callse, Incorvaia and Storzillo pose to show off their matching tattoos: "Veritas" and "Aequitas" -- Latin for "truth" and "justice" -- a reference to the 1999 cult film "The Boondock Saints."

In between calls, Incorvaia and Storzillo pose to show off their matching tattoos: "Veritas" and "Aequitas" -- Latin for "truth" and "justice" -- a reference to the 1999 cult film "The Boondock Saints."

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Jim Incorvaia decontaminates the leads of a heart monitor before stowing the device after a call.

"Welcome Armegeddon:" Jim Incorvaia decontaminates the leads of a heart monitor before stowing the device after a call.

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Paramedic Alex Storzillo discusses a patient with a Paterson Fire Department supervisor before entering a residence in Paterson, N.J.
Paramedic Alex Storzillo discusses a patient with a Paterson Fire Department supervisor before entering a residence in Paterson, N.J.
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Paramedics Alex Storzillo and Jim Incorvaia discuss a call with an EMT who was first on the scene. Paramedics, trained in "advanced life support," are dispatched to calls where more dangerous or invasive procedures are required to keep a patient alive on
Paramedics Alex Storzillo and Jim Incorvaia discuss a call with an EMT who was first on the scene. Paramedics, trained in "advanced life support," are dispatched to calls where more dangerous or invasive procedures are required to keep a patient alive on their way to the hospital.
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EMT Steve Besselman, on loan to the Paterson Fire Department from Columbus, Ohio, checks a monitor for a suspected COVID-19 patient in Paterson, N.J.
EMT Steve Besselman, on loan to the Paterson Fire Department from Columbus, Ohio, checks a monitor for a suspected COVID-19 patient in Paterson, N.J.
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Storzillo works on an intubated patient while Nicole Tugwell, an EMT on loan from Baltimore, keeps the patient breathing.
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Paramedics Alex Storzillo and Jim Incorvaia adjust their respirators before entering a house in Paterson, N.J. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the pair has treated each call as a potential source of coronavirus infection.
Paramedics Alex Storzillo and Jim Incorvaia adjust their respirators before entering a house in Paterson, N.J. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the pair has treated each call as a potential source of coronavirus infection.
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Jim Incorvaia gowns up after arriving on-scene for a call.

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Paterson, N.J., in the time of Covid-19

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Jim Incorvaia opens a bottle of supplemental oxygen for an intubated patient.

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Paramedic Alex Storzillo calls ahead to the St. Joseph's emergency room to prepare them for his last call of the day, a trauma patient requiring intubation in the field.
Paramedic Alex Storzillo calls ahead to the St. Joseph's emergency room to prepare them for his last call of the day, a trauma patient requiring intubation in the field.
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Jim Incorvaia adjusts his protective gear before responding to a call.

Jim Incorvaia adjusts his protective gear before responding to a call--the pair assumes each case to be a possible Covid-19 call.

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Alex Storzillo removes his respirator after a call
Alex Storzillo removes his respirator after a call
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Paramedics Alex Storzillo and Jim Incorvaia walk back to their truck after bringing a probable COVID-19 patient to the St. Joseph's emergency department.
Paramedics Alex Storzillo and Jim Incorvaia walk back to their truck after bringing a probable COVID-19 patient to the St. Joseph's emergency department.
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