Patient bites FDNY paramedic in the face in Brooklyn

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BROOKLYN - An FDNY paramedic answering an emergency call in Brooklyn was seriously injured after being bitten in the face by a patient early Friday morning.

According to FDNY EMS union President Oren Barzilay, the paramedic, Jenna Piscitello, was responding to a call in Brooklyn at around 2 a.m. in the morning.

While assisting the victim onto a stretcher, the victim then viciously bit Piscitello on the face, leaving her with extensive injuries and possible permanent facial scars.

"Here we are, once again, with one of our members badly injured. How much longer will our women and men be sent out on calls without having the proper tools to assist them?" Barzilay said in a statement. "This past week alone, over a dozen FDNY EMS Local 2507 members were assaulted, one even sustained a broken nose, another crew had a knife pulled on them and countless others suffered other injuries. When will our public officials come to our defense and offer EMS personnel protections?"

Piscitello was taken to a nearby hospital where she received stitches.

"No one should come to work having to fear getting assaulted or possibly killed," Barzilay said.