Inwood Fire Department medic recovering from Covid-19

There is a risk to being exposed to the coronavirus while on the frontlines. This risk became real for a member of the Inwood Fire Department. 

Longtime member of the department and Far Rockaway resident Willis Sands tested positive for Covid-19 on April 18. Sands said he is recovering well from the virus as he continues to rest at home.

Sands is a 20-year member of the Inwood FD. He has served as captain of the Fire Medic Squad for the majority of his tenure.  

According to Sands, the department would go on calls in February and March for people who were described as having pneumonia but he believes it was patients who had coronavirus.

“No one knew what the symptoms were for the coronavirus early on and they turned out to be similar to pneumonia,” Sands said. “We weren’t prepared for it at first, not from a departmental standpoint, but just not prepared in general since we were all finding out more about the virus.”

In an April 26 post on the Inwood FD Facebook page. “Willis recently recovered from a tough bout with the coronavirus, a virus which he contracted from being on the front lines of the pandemic,” the post read. “Thank you for your service Willis and Happy Birthday!”

Sands said he was touched by the department’s Facebook post. “Sometimes when you're sick, you feel like people don’t really care about you,” he said. “When I saw that post, it shows that they really care about me and I’m not just another member of the fire department.”

His recovery has been progressing, he said. Sands noted that he started feeling better around the 10th day after he received his positive test. “I found that resting and the medication helped me the most,” he said. “The symptoms started with a fever, shortness of breath and a bad cough.” 

While Sands is grateful for his recovery, he noted that he knows multiple people who are emergency medical service workers that have succumbed to the virus. “I know at least 15 people who work in the New York City Fire Department that have died from the virus,” he said. “It's tough seeing my colleagues die from this.” 

Inwood Fire Department Chief Anthony Rivelli helped recruit Sands to join the department in 2000 and said how glad he is that Sands is recovering. “Willis is such a valuable member to our department,” Rivelli said. “Our department is so happy that he’s recovering and we can’t wait to have him back at the firehouse.”

The next steps for Sands before coming back to work is to get rid of a persistent cough. “My 14-day quarantine period is almost complete at this point,” he said. “I just want to take precaution and not potentially get anyone sick.”