Lopez says EMS must be a lifelong career, not a stepping stone
Paramedic Christian Bear Lopez says he testified in March and returned because problems remain, citing FDNY EMS Lieutenant Nelson Cito who died after a six-minute ambulance arrival but no one answered. He says EMS needs sustainable wages, career development, and educational pathways, and asks why the council has not assessed an independent EMS department.
Good afternoon, Chair.
Well, members of the City Council.
I'm Christian Bear Lopez, 25.
I'm a paramedic who's worked in EMS since graduating from St.
Francis Prep in 2019.
I testified here in March.
I'm back because the problems remain.
FDNY EMS Lieutenant Nelson Cito served this city for over a decade.
On February 17, 2025, he called 911 struggling to breathe.
An ambulance arrived in six minutes.
Nobody answered, and he left.
His family found him dead hours later.
His ambulance was not delayed.
It was outside his home.
The responding EMTs had less than two years on the job combined.
I started at 18, and I'm not blaming them.
I'm asking why we can't retain experienced providers.
We ask FDNY EMTs to spend four years in EMS to qualify for a firefighter promotion, then start over on another pay scale for another 5.5 years.
We're losing experienced providers because we haven't made EMS a career worth staying in.
EMS needs sustainable wages, career development, and educational pathways into healthcare through New York City.
health and hospitals, but EMS itself must remain a viable, lifelong career, not merely a stepping stone into firefighting or other healthcare professions.
I appreciate Councilmember Areola's transparency and her efforts towards it, but a sex notification cannot perform CPR, train an EMT, or staff an ambulance.
Municipal EMS should be staffed.
To meet demand independently.
Hospital ambulances and CFR fire engines should complement our EMS system, not what keeps it running.
Intro 0521 proposed an independent EMS department in 2024.
Sanitation, police, and fire have their own commissioners.
Why shouldn't EMS?
An independent department would give EMS dedicated leadership, budget oversight, and direct accountability.
I'm 25.
My generation is inheriting these problems while caring for your constituents and showing up here on our days off.
We were essential in 2020 during the pandemic.
We're essential today.
If this council is committed to EMS reform,
Why aren't we holding a hearing and conducting a fiscal assessment on implementing Intro 0521?
Thank you.
I yield my time.
Thank you so much.