Ariola agrees pay and retention are the crux of EMS crisis
Ariola thanks Speaker Menin and says the core issue is that EMS workers cannot survive on $18 an hour, leading to retention failures. She says the mayor's office must negotiate a competitive contract and not kick the can down the road.
Thank you so much, Speaker.
And you make a very valid point.
And it is the point that is at the crux of this issue is the fact that they cannot retain an EMS worker because they do not make enough money
to sustain themselves and have a family and support themselves.
And, yes, some live in shelters.
Some live.
By the charity of family.
They cannot sustain themselves on $18 an hour and work three 12-hour shifts and then work a second or third job just to make ends meet.
So that's really the basis of the problem is
You cannot retain and people will leave, whether it's to go to the fire department, to the DOT, to sanitation or to a private hospital.
So that's that's where we have to say that the mayor's office has to deal honestly and competitively with this.
this contract that they are negotiating now with the unions, and not just kick the can down the road like previous administrations have.
They may not have caused this particular situation, but they certainly can end it.
And that's what we're looking forward to.
So thank you for bringing that up, Speaker.
That is really the crux of the problem.
And I'd like to note that we've been joined by Councilmember Epstein.
And to the speaker's point of what happened with that particular incident in her district, I know that we've had conversation about that.
I'd like you to share the reason why an ambulance didn't come and then called three hours later to see if an ambulance came.
So before I give this to Chief Miano again, and this was a different reason than at St.
Francis Prep, but the idea that somebody, one of our children, can be hurt at a school and not get an ambulance in an acceptable amount of time.
But I've sat in front of the...
This committee several times with Fire Commissioner Bonsignor and before her Fire Commissioner Tucker, where we have said that the EMS system is in crisis.
And unfortunately, we're still in crisis.
And we are working to improve this.
So for the specifics of that day, I'll pass it to Chief.