New York City Council members convened on March 13, 2026, for a preliminary budget hearing focused on the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Discussions centered on the critical staffing shortages within EMS, escalating response times, and the urgent need for fair compensation for emergency responders. The meeting highlighted the ongoing disparity in pay, raising pressing concerns about the implications for public safety as response times for life-threatening emergencies have exceeded 12 minutes.
# What’s happening
– The City Council discussed the budget for EMS, considering staffing and pay issues.
– Call volume and response times have worsened due to short staffing, with an average response time of over 12 minutes.
– Proposed changes aim to improve recruitment and retention for EMS personnel through pay equity measures.
# Why it matters
– EMS personnel are essential to public health and safety, responding to millions of emergencies each year.
– Increased response times and staffing shortages pose significant risks to NYC residents’ health and safety.
# Key details
– The preliminary budget hearings took place on March 13, 2026.
– Current EMS average response time is over 12 minutes for critical emergencies.
– The FDNY’s EMS staffing has been reduced, contributing to longer wait times for ambulances.
– Pay for EMS personnel starts at $36,000, which is cited as insufficient for living in New York City.
– Significant turnover is expected, with projections of losing 1,500 EMS personnel by the end of 2026.
Emergency service leaders expressed alarm during the hearing at the escalating response times and the high turnover rate among EMS personnel. It was noted that many EMTs are leaving their positions for higher-paying jobs, causing staffing shortages and increasing response times. In 2025, average response times for life-threatening emergencies had already escalated from 10 minutes and 52 seconds to a concerning 11 minutes and 21 seconds, reflecting a critical situation for public safety (Source: https://youtu.be/X4d32YQZFhQ&t=13494).
Testimony emphasized that current salaries do not sufficiently compensate these essential workers, with some EMTs reportedly making less than food delivery workers. The starting salary for an EMT is approximately $36,000 annually, which many witnesses noted is barely above New York City’s extremely low-income threshold (Source: https://youtu.be/X4d32YQZFhQ&t=13418).
A staggering 70% of EMS personnel are projected to leave within three years due to low wages and poor working conditions, further exacerbating response time issues. The public testimony collected during the hearing urged city officials to prioritize parity in wages to ensure the retention of qualified emergency staff. It was also recommended that the Department of Education’s workforce stabilization payment model could serve as a framework to establish similar support for EMS personnel (Source: https://youtu.be/X4d32YQZFhQ&t=13119).
The meeting concluded with city council members reiterating their commitment to improving the working conditions for EMS personnel and finding feasible solutions to enhance public safety through better funding and support for these critical services (Source: https://youtu.be/X4d32YQZFhQ&t=13566).
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