Esposito details EMS staffing losses to firefighter promotion cycle
Esposito says decreased ambulance hours are significantly driven by staffing changes, including 358 EMTs and 63 paramedics who left EMS to become firefighters in 2026. He says the department staffs up before promotions but the effect on EMS staffing remains severe.
A significant reason for the number of ambulance in-service hours that the number of in-service hours have decreased is staffing changes.
We are in the midst of a promotion cycle in
which 358 emergency medical technicians and 63 paramedics departed EMS to become firefighters in 2026.
In 2025, 288 EMTs and 48 paramedics made this transition.
It's a positive outcome for the city to have firefighters with EMS and paramedic-level medical training, but it also has a severe impact on EMS staffing in the short term.
When a class of EMS members enters the fire academy, it means that EMS leadership has hundreds fewer members to staff ambulances.
We have taken measures to mitigate this impact, including deliberately staffing up above headcount prior to the promotion cycle.
But with so many members taking the firefighting exam in each cycle, the effect on EMS staffing continues to be significant.