Sharing meals together has been a firefighter tradition for decades.
But for the last two weeks, the City of Poughkeepsie's firefighters have kept their distance from each other. They're also responding to fewer medical calls and increasing sanitation at the firehouses, according to city Fire Chief Mark Johnson.
Other fire departments and emergency responders have said they are taking similar steps in the wake of the county's State of Emergency declaration on March 12.
As coronavirus continues to spread across the state and more cases are confirmed in the county each day, most fire departments have stopped responding to medical calls in which a patient says they have the symptoms of coronavirus or the flu. Instead, EMT services, such as Mobile Life Support Services, EMStar and Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps. will handle the situations, responding with minimal personnel, each equipped with personal protection.