New York City – Critical Shortage Of EMS Workers

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    New York City – A shortage of medics and a surge in heat-related 911 calls left the city struggling to respond to medical emergencies last week – and the dangerous situation could worsen as summer intensifies and more FDNY EMS workers jump ship to become firefighters, sources told The Post.

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    Dozens of ailing people waited more than an hour for a response after dialing 911 last week. During one two-hour period on a sweltering afternoon, six calls were stacked up for more than an hour, and 12 were delayed more than 30 minutes, according to Emergency Medical Service dispatch records reviewed by The Post.

    A shrinking work force strained to respond to a flood of about 15,000 calls over four days – the same amount the city of Boston averages in a month. On a normal working day, the city’s 2,000 emergency medical technicians, paramedics and their supervisors get about 3,200 medical calls.

    But last week demand spiked abruptly, going as high as 4,606 during one 24-hour period as temperatures sizzled. Eight people suffered heat-related deaths last week, the city medical examiner said. The sudden surge left dozens of calls queuing in EMS dispatch centers in The Bronx and Brooklyn. An overheated 65-year-old woman with high blood pressure waited nearly two hours for a crew.

    Medics didn’t reach a 37-year-old woman suffering from vomiting and stomach pains for an hour and 14 minutes.


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    10 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Appreciate Hatzalah

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    HERES A NOVEL IDEA, ADMIT YOU CANT HANDLE THE JOB AND ASK FOR HELP.OR EVEN BETTER PRIVATIZE IT COMPLEETELY AND THAN WE CAN HOLD SOMEONE ACCOUNTABLE, UNLIKE NOW WHERE NO ONE IS ACCOUNTABLE

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    This is due to their insane policy of forcibly taking any child or senior to the hospital even if 911 was called accidentally or for a small cut or bruise.

    What a concept!
    What a concept!
    15 years ago

    Maybe they should subcontract with private ambulances (some cities do it with local hatzola) for calls they cant handle.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    One simple reason, they pay NOTHING. Pay a normal wage and people will jump at the job.

    Anon1
    Anon1
    15 years ago

    An EMT make 23000 a year. If we can’t pay more than that for the people who save lives, then we deserve to wait an hour and a half!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    For the woman with stomach pains and vomiting. She should go take a cab.

    avi
    avi
    15 years ago

    anon 12:08 – you are a fool – how do you know whether or not person was suffering from heat stroke, diverticulitis, or a host of other things?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    the 911 operator can find out by asking.

    firemedic
    firemedic
    15 years ago

    The worst thing to happen to EMS was to consolidate them into the fire dept. I believe in fire based EMS if its don right but this was wrong from the begining. EMS is treated like the bastard child of the Fire Department and are payed like that to. They deserve better pay and better working conditions. Its time to put EMS back into a seperate municipal 3rd service.