Kristin F. Dalton
Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
NEW YORK — Sal and Caitlin DePaola of Huguenot came up with a unique solution to a difficult problem.
Sal, 42, is a FDNY firefighter with Engine 160 on Staten Island.
Worried about potentially exposing his wife and two daughters, ages 16-months and 3-years-old, to COVID-19, he rented an RV and parked it in the driveway of his Huguenot home.
“At last count about 14 guys [in the firehouse] were confirmed positive,” DePaola told the Advance. He said two have recovered and are already back at work.
“Some guys are handling it well, for some it’s a lot rougher and for others it’s symptoms have been similar to the flu,” he said.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QIZkdJyua/
The youngest of his daughters has respiratory issues which it make it hard for her to recover from a regular cold.
“The older one said she really missed me yesterday and cried a little bit. We’ve been talking on FaceTime and my wife explained to her that I’m helping people and that I’m not allowed in the house,” he said.
The DePaolas aren’t the only family in this situation — Staten Islanders previously told the Advance they’ve made a similar decision to separate from their families because they are essential workers.
DePaola said the RV was his wife’s idea — they first discussed separating about two weeks ago when his fellow firefighters started getting sick.
After searching for a week, he found the perfect RV. He’s got two weeks left on the rental before he has to return it and decide what to do next.
“It was [initially] cheaper than a hotel and lets me be close to the family. It has everything that I need, including a full kitchen,” he said.
This past Sunday he made a full Sunday meal, complete with sauce and meatballs. Other than that, Caitlin has been giving him dinner every night.
“Cause what would a Sunday be without sauce….,” he captioned an Instagram video of him cooking in the RV.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-U7gvjpGzx/
He’s been chronicling his RV time on an Instagram page, quarantine_rv.
He’s also fully stocked the RV with bourbon, though DePaola said he’s been so busy and exhausted from work that he hasn’t had the time to enjoy any of it.
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