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To the editor:
It's the "biggest crisis in public safety that we are now just first talking about.” That's what outgoing FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said of matters within the department’s emergency medical services.
He testified Nov. 13 to a joint session of the City Council’s committees on Governmental Operations, State and Federal Legislation and Civil Service and Labor. This wasn't the first that Council members have heard of the EMS problems, such as high staff attrition and long response times to medical emergencies. It's just that city officials have never fixed the problems.
Nearly six years ago, former EMS Chief Lillian Bonsignore, testifying before the Council, cited the firefighter promotional exam and EMS pay as the two biggest reasons for trained and certified EMS personnel leaving EMS. Since then, hundreds of EMS personnel have transferred out to firefighting, and EMS personnel are still paid tens of thousands of dollars less than sanitation workers.
About three hours into this latest hearing and two hours after the FDNY heads had left, the FDNY Emergency Medical Service union leaders testified, and both Local 2507 President Oren Barzilay and Local 3621 Vice-President Anthony Almojera revealed an even more desperate situation for both the public and the EMS workers.
For the Council members and interested members of the public who couldn't attend or stay for the entire hearing, the video is available on the NYC Council Calendar website.
Helen Northmore
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