Alex Cardoza testifies on EMS system failures and mass exodus
Alex Cardoza, a NYC paramedic, describes 6,000 daily calls becoming the norm, units sent across boroughs, 30-minute to two-hour response times, and a mass exodus from EMS, noting the recent budget increased FDNY overall but decreased the EMS division specifically.
I guess I'll be the last one to speak.
Good afternoon, I'm Alex Cardoza.
I'm here to speak upon New York City 911, for which FDNY EMS is responsible for responding to all calls related to health emergencies.
The FDNY has staffed approximately 60% of units for the city, allowing private agencies to supplement support for decades.
The average starting pay for EMTs is $18 an hour, one of, if not the lowest, of any city employee.
Since 2020, the influx of calls for an ambulance has tripled to about 6,000 calls.
Historically, this has been known as New Year's Eve numbers, where the city has planned, staffed, and allotted personnel to account for such amount of calls.
Currently working as a New York City paramedic, we find that this is the norm on a daily basis with a failing system struggling to keep up.
I could sit here and tell you stories of how many calls we responded with 30-minute drive times, with terrible outcomes, but it's pointless.
The truth is you could be a unit from Queens, sent to Brooklyn, dispatched to Manhattan, or end up in the Bronx.
Patients and bystanders alike all say the same thing.
What took you so long?
We waited two hours.
I should have taken a cab instead.
Your EMTs and medics are tired.
They're fed up and sick of being overworked and extremely underpaid compared to their first responder counterparts.
Our coworkers who have been around for longer than we can imagine are telling us it's not worth it anymore.
It's all overshadowed by an abysmal pay scale and the stress of the traumatizing situations we are met with daily.
There's a mass exodus from EMS to anything better.
furthering the crisis we're experiencing today.
The recent New York City budget has increased for the FDNY as a whole, but the EMS division has found a decrease specifically.
When you need us to come help you, the reality is you will be waiting, you will be upset, and we will be tired.
To everyone who told us to move on from a dead-end career that doesn't care about you, I say no.
City Council, you can help our first responders stay and continue to feel like it's worth it and to continue to help the city that we all imagined.
In a field where our whole point is to care for you, who cares for us?
Thank you for your time.