Won questions FDNY on EMS retention and pay parity timeline

Thank you, Chairs.

Okay.

Do you have figures on how many EMTs left to become EMTs?

firefighter versus how many EMTs left to become paramedics for the past year?

And is pay gap the reason or what can we do to

to improve the retention rate.

Thank you.

So I think I have those numbers, although I might have to look up some of them.

So just in terms of how many EMS members have left to become firefighters, you know, over the last three firefighter classes, we've lost 506 members.

And I just want to, EMTs don't leave the job to become paramedics.

They promote to paramedic after going through rigorous training.

So they still stay on EMS.

Each paramedic class, we run approximately two a year.

We graduate about 70 from each one of those classes.

Okay.

And we've been talking about this since the last hearing.

How do we fix this retention rate?

Is that being considered in the current budget year or is still something that's not solved?

I think the commissioner has said it multiple times that one of the things that would help us with retention is

the EMS pay being increased, right?

Like we have members who are out there dedicated every single day, every single day.

that deserve to be compensated for the work that they do.

Right here in the room, just looking around, we have an incentive program every single month.

We have what we call a unit of the month program.

That unit of the month, for the first time ever this month, the same unit from the Bronx,

has won that title two months in a row.

And just two of those members happen to be sitting right here.

I wish your counterpart was here because they actually are from his district.

So I think we need to recognize the work that our EMTs and our paramedics do, and they should be compensated for it.

But in the current budget, the EMS pay levels remain the same.

Is that right?

Yes.

So as of this point, these conversations are still happening between OLR, OMB, and the FDNY unions.

They're in the contract negotiations now, and I don't have a seat at that table.

So, you know, it's an ongoing conversation.

It's a conversation we continue to bring light to because we do believe it's step one to stabilizing the EMS system, which, you know, as the chief spoke about and Chief Miano has spoken about, is a real thing.

Like, I think at this point, we need to stabilize our EMS system, and the pay is going to be one of those things that set us on the right path to get that done.

And possibly then we can...

look at promotion processes, right?

So if there is an option to stay in EMS, somebody may take that.

But right now, we have a 17,000 person department who are willing to do just about anything to keep New Yorkers safe.

They'll do it in good weather and bad weather.

They'll do it in any time of year.

And as you've seen over the last, you know, the last winter we had, which is extraordinarily cold, which caused a lot of the fires we're seeing now.

Or you see it during a pandemic, which was incredibly challenging.

The fire department never turns their back on New Yorkers.

So at this point, we're saying we have to prepare ourselves and build this department in a way that provides these services for the next five decades for New York.

And that's what this conversation is about, trying to make sure that we can have a robust and sustained EMS system to provide those cares.

Yeah, but we have a budget process that's due in 30 days, and what you're saying is that we don't know how to fix this pay gap until the contract negotiations have definite terms.

And that's going to take a lot longer than the 30 days that I'm putting together the budget.

Is that right?

Well, I will say that those conversations are ongoing, and EMS has been part of the fire department for 30 years, and this has been unresolved.

So I'm guessing in the next 30 days it probably will not be resolved, but I do hope that we get to a point where we resolve it sooner rather than later.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Cheers.

Thank you.