They are among the city’s first responders, but NYPD and Port Authority cops are getting little or nothing in the way of Ebola safety gear, sources told The Post.
PA cops at JFK Airport — which gets more passengers a day from affected West African countries than any other airport — are relying on “Hi-Risk Kits” that sell in bulk for about $5 each.
NYPD officers aren’t getting any protective gear whatsoever.
“In the absence of hearing anything from the city regarding the safety of NYPD members in handling Ebola cases, we are going to take preventative measures to do everything we can to protect our members,” Mullins said.
The airport cops’ kits feature a thin, disposable but supposedly “impervious” gown made of polyethylene-coated paper.
“Body fluids won’t seep through,” insists their distributor, Mark Hertzberg, president of Medical Warehouse Inc. of Brookfield, Conn.
By contrast, the FDNY has purchased high-quality, three-layer full-body suits for the city’s more than 3,000 EMS workers, said their union head, Israel Miranda.
“They’re also ordering hoods that cover even your shoulders to put on top of these things — fully encapsulated hoods,” he said.
The equipment should arrive in about a week, Miranda said.
“You can’t put a price tag on the safety of the people who save lives,” he added.