John Jay Front-Line Heroes
New York City is at the epicenter of the Covid-19 health crisis, and as a New York City-based College that educates students committed to public service, our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are working on the front lines to care for us and keep our communities going. This “Front-Line Heroes” webpage is dedicated to our valiant and resilient first responders and essential workers, who risk their lives for the benefit of others. As a community, we thank these champions for their service, dedication, and personal sacrifice.
Adjunct Associate Professor George Contreras Advocates for the Mental Health of EMS Practitioners
With over 30 years of experience as a paramedic, George Contreras, an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Master of Science in Emergency Management program at John Jay, knows the mental toll working on the front lines of the Covid-19 health crisis can take on EMS practitioners. Read More...
Adjunct Professor Richard Sposa '01 Helps Keep Bergen County Safe During Covid-19 Response
In the race to flatten the curve, EMS professionals such as John Jay alumnus and adjunct professor Richard Sposa ’01, worked around the clock to acquire life-saving equipment for hospitals and expeditiously increase the number of beds and intensive care units for Covid-19 patients. Read More...
New York National Guard Specialist Matthew Hart ’20 Supports Covid-19 Testing Centers and Food Distribution Sites
New York National Guard Specialist Matthew Hart ’20 has a lot on his plate. He typically gets up at “zero-four-30” as he puts it—that’s 4:30 in the morning for us civilians—and juggles six classes at John Jay, active duty with the National Guard, a couple hours of sleep, and a few precious moments with his friends and family. Read More...
NYPD Officer Shane Worrell-Louis ’19 Uses His John Jay Knowhow to Keep NYC Safe
Shane Worrell-Louis ’19, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officer from Brooklyn, New York, is carefully taking his response to the Covid-19 health crisis day by day. What’s grounding his approach is the education he received at John Jay and the unwavering encouragement he continues to receive from the Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE) Program. Read More...
Chaim Roberts ’13 Supervising Security at the World Trade Center
Before the Covid-19 health crisis, the World Trade Center was arguably one of the busiest places in the City, seeing millions of visitors and commuters every year. Now, in the midst of the pandemic, it’s up to folks like Chaim Roberts ’13—Supervising Security Coordinator, World Trade Center and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Security, Fire, and Emergency Management—to keep this landmark and transportation hub safe and running smoothly . Read More...
Leo Portnoy ’06 Shares His Experience Fighting Covid-19 at a Correctional Facility
Correctional facilities are some of the toughest places to practice Covid-19 mitigation strategies, but Leo Portnoy ’06 and his co-workers at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn (MDC Brooklyn) are working hard to combat the infection and maintain a safe environment. Read More...
Grad Student and First Responder Khalid Islam ’20 Helping to Keep Our Paramedics and EMTs Safe
John Jay graduate student and first responder Khalid Islam ’20 is helping keep New Yorkers and the City’s first responders safe as they face the Covid-19 health crisis. Read More...
Professor and Teaneck Battalion Chief Paul Kearns ’01 Educating for Emergency Response
We spoke with alumnus Paul Kearns ’01, Adjunct Professor of Security, Fire, and Emergency Management, and Battalion Chief for the Teaneck Fire Department to learn more about his experience training and educating firefighters and John Jay students on emergency preparedness during the Covid-19 health crisis.
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Kacia Wilson ’19 Fighting Covid-19 at Lenox Hill Hospital
Kacia Wilson ’19 works as a Support Service Associate at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. The John Jay alumna is studying full time at New York Law School, while she puts in long shifts at Lenox Hill, checking medical supplies and transporting patients to different departments within the hospital. We chatted with Wilson to get a firsthand account of what it’s like in a hospital during the Covid-19 health crisis. Read More...
EMT Rosa Jimenez ’20 Helping Save Lives in the Bronx
As an EMT, Rosa Jimenez ’20, a John Jay APPLE Corps student, is working on the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis in the City’s hardest hit borough.
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Oregon Office Of Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps ’08 Leads Statewide Efforts to Respond to Covid-19 Health Crisis
As the Director of Oregon’s Office of Emergency Management, Andrew Phelps ’08 leads statewide efforts to prepare for, mitigate against, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters, regardless of the cause.
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NYPD Officer Dev Sharma ’14 Keeping Brooklyn Safe
By mid-March, Dev Sharma ’14, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer, started to see the initial impact of Covid-19 because, “a lot of officers that I knew were unfortunately getting sick. Then we really started to see a difference in how we addressed the issue,” says Sharma. Read More...
EMT Landy Familia ’16 Helping Folks in Need
We spoke with Landy Familia ’16, a Queens, New York native who majored in Fire and Emergency Services at John Jay, and learned more about his experience working as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) amidst the Covid-19 health crisis. Read More...
Front-line Heroes Fund
Please visit https://jjay.cc/frontlineheroes to support our students who are serving as first responders and essential workers. Your support can keep them on track to graduate by funding summer and winter sessions they need now more than ever to maintain their academic momentum and by providing relief for financial hardships.
#JJCFrontlineHeroes
