Latest news with #Barzilay
Politico
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Politico
Strained city EMS workforce feels the heat
Beat Memo A scorching heat wave last week is shining a spotlight on New York City's strained emergency medical response system. FDNY EMS Local 2507, the union for thousands of emergency medical technicians and paramedics, responded to over 20,000 medical emergencies over the sweltering four-day span. On Primary Day, the number of medical emergency calls was 20 percent higher than average, according to the union. City Health Department data shows that emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses peaked Wednesday at 141, while 112 New Yorkers showed up at hospitals the day before. The heightened demand for emergency medical responses meant some calls had to be placed on hold, while others waited up to three hours for an ambulance to arrive, union president Oren Barzilay said. 'Every day, FDNY EMS members are struggling to keep up with exceedingly high call volumes with an underappreciated and underinvested in workforce,' Barzilay said in a statement. The Fire Department told one news outlet that it responded to about 1,000 more calls per day than usual, noting that calls were prioritized so the neediest New Yorkers got help as soon as possible. Each summer, more than 500 people die prematurely because of hot weather in New York City, according to the city Health Department — and summers are getting hotter because of climate change. And that's only exacerbating retention issues among the city's EMS workforce, which has gone without a union contract for three years, Barzilay said. Emergency response times have risen in recent years due to a lack of emergency medical technicians and paramedics as well as a smaller pipeline of potential recruits, the Mayor's Management Report found in January 2025. 'Heat waves like this only exacerbate this fundamental issue,' he said in a statement. 'It's why there is such a massive burnout and stress among our membership, who are providing lifesaving medical care and transport each day in neighborhoods across our city.' IN OTHER NEWS: — Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation Friday that authorizes certain health care professionals licensed outside New York to treat participants in specific sporting events: the Ironman Lake Placid 2025 or an event sanctioned by the New York Road Runners. 'With world-class athletes traveling and competing across the state, New York wants to ensure they have the best care,' Hochul said in a statement. 'This legislation not only provides more opportunities for health care professionals, but it also allows athletes to have top-of-the-line care during their events.' — Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention received $200,000 in gifts to expand research into the root causes of gun violence and to support development of a national toolkit for health systems to implement gun violence prevention initiatives. ON THE AGENDA: — Tuesday, 10:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The Public Health and Health Planning Council's health planning committee will convene. MAKING ROUNDS: — Andrew T. Pickens was appointed executive director of western region hospitals for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network. GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@ and Katelyn Cordero at kcordero@ Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. Odds and Ends NOW WE KNOW — Some cost-conscious Americans are making their own weight-loss drugs. TODAY'S TIP — How to protect yourself from ticks. STUDY THIS — Black and Hispanic patients with opioid use disorder were 'significantly less likely' to receive the medication buprenorphine, especially if they had commercial insurance, researchers found. What We're Reading — U.S. charges 11 in Russia-based scheme to bilk Medicare of $10.6 billion. (New York Times) — Too sick to work, some Americans worry Trump's bill will strip their health insurance. (KFF Health News) — People whose lives were permanently altered by disease send a warning as vaccine opposition grows. (AP) Around POLITICO — Via POLITICO's Erin Schumaker: RFK Jr. is bringing psychedelics to the Republican Party. — House GOP moderates dig in against Senate Medicaid cuts, Meredith Lee Hill and Nicholas Wu report. MISSED A ROUNDUP? Get caught up on the New York Health Care Newsletter.
New York Post
21-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Mayor Adams and FDNY slapped with suit for moving 82 fire cadets into EMT roles
The Big Apple's largest municipal union is blasting city officials for sliding 82 firefighter trainees into EMT jobs — blowing past hiring lists and allegedly leaving certified candidates in the dust. District Council 37's Local 2507 — the union for FDNY EMTs and paramedics — accuse the FDNY and Mayor Adams of violating civil service law by appointing fire cadets to provisional EMT roles without exams or having ever applied for the job. 'These 82 people wanted nothing to do with EMS,' said Local 2507 president Oren Barzilay. 'They applied to become firefighters.' 6 Mayor Eric Adams is under fire as EMS union sues over the city's plan to push 82 Fire Cadets into EMT jobs — sidelining hundreds of certified EMTs waiting on official hiring lists. Andrew Schwartz / The cadets — part-time city employees — concluded a two-year training program in May intended to boost diversity in the FDNY. But after graduating, they weren't placed into the Fire Academy. Instead, the city enrolled them in EMT training that began June 16, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit. Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker, who is named in the suit, publicly addressed the decision at the cadet graduation — saying the move would help keep cadets on the payroll, give them union protection and prepare them for eventual firefighter training. 6 Oren Barzilay, president of the FDNY EMT union, says most of the cadets 'don't want to do this' and that forcing them into EMS roles wastes valuable training seats. Natan Dvir 'I thought it is in their best interest to become full-time employees of the FDNY, to go into a union, to get a raise, to get benefits and to begin to be trained as EMTs,' Tucker told families. 'One day, maybe they'll thank me. Maybe they won't.' But Barzilay said only 69 cadets reported for EMT training — and most don't plan to stick around. 6 While ambulances drive through the city, certified EMTs remain on standby, passed over for cadets who haven't taken the required civil service exams, the lawsuit alleges. William Miller None of the cadets took the EMT civil service exam or appear on the city's official hiring lists, the lawsuit, filed on June 13, claims. Meanwhile, Barzilay said hundreds of certified EMT candidates remain on standby. Some cadets are expected to join the Fire Academy in October, while others could stay in EMT roles for up to two years, Tucker said in his remarks. 'They tell us straight to our face, they don't want to do this,' Barzilay said. 'Once they graduate the EMS Academy, they're going straight to the Fire Academy.' 6 At the cadet commencement, FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said placing cadets in EMT roles would keep them employed, provide union benefits and prepare them for eventual firefighter training. Gabriella Bass Barzilay also raised public safety concerns, warning that pushing through trainees who don't want to be EMTs could lead to mistakes on the job. 'If they're not in it 100%, people can get hurt,' he said. 'Lives are on the line.' 6 The union's lawsuit alleges the city broke civil service laws by assigning cadets to EMT positions without proper exams or applications. Union leader Henry Garrido is seen here at an event with the mayor. Paul Martinka The union president also warned the move could signal a larger shift. 'It seems like they have an agenda to cross-train future firefighters into EMTs and paramedics — which ultimately would lead to the dissolvement of EMS,' he said. 6 Barzilay warned this move could be part of a broader plan to shift FDNY staffing by pushing future firefighters into EMT roles — a change he said might 'dissolve' EMS. William Miller A spokesperson for the FDNY said they are aware of the lawsuit and declined comment on ongoing litigation.
