Ambulance workers are on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

But Monroe Ambulance President Tom Coyle says like anyone else in the health care field right now, EMS workers need supplies to keep them safe.

"It’s very vital," Coyle said. "We have the same concerns the hospitals do. We have to wear our face masks, our goggles, gloves, on every patient we care for right now. Supplies are dwindling."

Coyle is the chairman of the United New York Ambulance Network, which represents ambulance companies around the state.

"EMS workers are very prepared," he said. "It’s something we do everyday. Are there changes, absolutely. But our employees are coming to work everyday."

Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara says ambulance crews serve a vital purpose — especially in rural communities.

"It might be a long way to get to a hospital," said Santabarbara, a Democrat who represents the Schenectady area. "They provide that life-saving care. I was calling on the governor to dedicate some funding to stabilize these ambulance services."

It’s Santabarbara’s hope that EMS workers and other rural services are taken care of in the state budget, due to pass next week.

"I know it’s going to be a tough budget, but the governor really has to focus on these rural communities," he said. "They’ve been left behind, they’ve been left out. The conversation has just not been there."

And EMS companies are also gearing up for the expected wave of coronavirus hospitalizations that could come within the next two weeks.