WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Braden Muhlstadt is a paramedic for Forsyth County EMS, and he says this pandemic is unlike anything he has ever seen.

"You've got a whole new range of symptoms and things that you kind of have to look out for in each patient to kind of be aware of what you're getting into," Muhlstadt says.

If a patient presents any COVID-19 symptoms, paramedics and EMTs must put on the necessary PPE. Bryan Gallimore, the Battalion Chief of Forsyth EMS says, and like many departments they have faced shortages.

"There are shortages. We've dealt with shortages of disposable gowns. We've actually had situations where we've had to make sure we acquire enough gloves to make it through a certain period of time," Gallimore says.

To avoid this, Gallimore says Forsyth County has begun using nondisposable PPE.

Callie Katers, another paramedic with Forsyth County EMS, says she saw how the call volume dropped at the beginning of the pandemic, but has since ramped up. 

"With ED overcrowding, it takes longer for ambulances to transfer care in the ER, which leads to longer wait times and sometimes it can cause delays in critical patients and longer turnaround times for ambulances to get back on the streets," Katers says. 

The department has made the health and safety of its frontline workers a top priority.