Ariola asks about EMS headcount and recruitment efforts
Ariola notes FDNY has about 4,500 budgeted EMS personnel but fewer than 4,100 on staff. Esposito says recruitment is challenging nationwide, FDNY has 163 EMT trainees at Fort Totten and about 150 in paramedic classes, and it continues testing and recruitment.
You have 4,500 personnel, would you say?
You said earlier, was it, or in your testimony?
The budgeted amount is 4,500.
We're below 4,100, 464 spots below budgeted headcount is our actual staffing.
So I know that you're taking steps to increase that headcount.
Could you explain what you're doing?
So we are trying to recruit recruitment in EMS across the country since COVID-19 has been challenging.
We continue to do classes.
We have 163 EMT trainees currently at our EMS Academy at Fort Totten.
And we have another 150 or so in our paramedic classes out there as well.
And so even though they're included in that head count, then that's, you know.
Below that we actually have out in the field and train in any M.
and in the field working.
So continuing to have tests and recruit and try to fill our classes.
So if 4,500 is your optimum and 4,100 is what you have now, do you think that even if you are at 4,500, that that would be enough EMTs and paramedics to
be in ambulances to service a city of over a million and a half people?
That would be a great start, and that would be a good problem to have and a question to answer at that time.