Latest news with #responseTimes
CBS News
26-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
NYC EMTs say they're understaffed and feeling the strain during summer heat
Ambulance response times in New York City have jumped. During the summer months, paramedics say they get even more calls. They fielded more than 1,000 calls a day this week because of the heat wave. It comes as EMTs say there's a staffing shortage. Paramedic Edgar Romero, who has been on the job for 20 years, works at FDNY EMS Station 27 in the Bronx. He says there aren't enough ambulances for the amount of calls coming in. "This week, with the heat, it has been unbearable. It's been tough. It's just been very busy," Romero said. "We have jobs holding two hours, three hours, sometimes even four hours." "The Bronx is suffering the most" According to the union representing 4,200 paramedics citywide, 911 calls went up significantly during this week's heat wave. They say there were 5,296 Monday, 5,208 Tuesday, and about 5,600 Wednesday. That's compared to a daily average of 4,325. "It's definitely a strain because there's hardly any units out there," Romero said. We're told 15-20 additional units are needed in the Bronx just to keep up with the amount of calls coming in. "The Bronx is suffering the most. Most of the calls on hold are in the Bronx. We simply don't have enough ambulances," EMS Local 2507 president Oren Barzilay said. "The demand is higher than the resources." According to the mayor's management report, response times have slowed down too. In 2023, it was 10:43. In 2024, it was 10:42. So how about this year? "We're over 11 minutes for critical calls such as cardiac arrest," Barzilay said. "Every second does matter," Romero said. Paramedic Joseph Arnold has been on the job for 13 years. He works at Station 14, next to Lincoln Hospital. "When we get there we do everything we can, but sometimes there aren't ideal outcomes," Arnold said. Barzilay says a staff shortage and high turnover rates due to workload and salary are also impacting their jobs to save lives as fast as they can. "We've been without a contract for three years," Barzilay said. "We need a raise, that's for sure. We need more people to come help us out," Romero said. The city told CBS News New York: "Under the Adams administration, our first responders are - and will always be - prioritized and properly funded to handle emergency medical calls. These brave men and women are saving New Yorkers' lives every minute - particularly during a heat wave - which is why we are hiring EMTs as fast as we can train them. We will always respond to every emergency call in a timely fashion." The FDNY said responding to emergency medical calls quickly is a top priority. During a heat wave, calls are prioritized to get to the neediest New Yorkers as soon as possible.
CBC
12-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
A day in the life of a rural paramedic — and why response times can be dangerously long
Outside of major cities, paramedic response times can be significantly longer than in urban areas, affecting patient outcomes in some high-priority cases. This is particularly true in Quebec, where a recent report found response times doubled in rural areas, where paramedics are calling for more resources.
CBC
27-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Ambulance N.B. extends rural pilot project, sees early positive results
Ambulance New Brunswick is extending a pilot project that changes the way ambulances are organized in the province, with the goal of improving response times and taking pressure off staff. The initial project ran for 60 days in Port Elgin, Cap-Pelé, and Fords Mills. It will be extended for another 60 days. The three areas saw ambulances stay in their communities instead of covering other regions. Results from the pilot saw an improvement in response times of 6.4 per cent in the area, according to Medavie Health Services, which provides ambulance service. Eric Robichaud, a spokesperson for Medavie Health Services, said in an emailed statement that "local ANB units were not automatically deployed to provide coverage in neighbouring areas, however they did continue to respond to requests for service where required." The statement also said that the project was in response to "challenges posed by increasing call volumes and offload delays, as well as pressure on staff." The areas selected for the pilot have been "experiencing prolonged response times due to system pressures." The pilot, which eliminates covering neighbouring areas, is contrary to the organization's dynamic deployment system they've been using since 2007. Chris Hood, executive director of the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick, welcomes the change. "The way we have done business over the years has to change," said Hood. Early results 'promising' Data is still being analyzed, according to Robichaud, but "early results are promising." The change has improved response times in the south of the province where ambulances would have been expected to cover the eastern region in the dynamic deployment system. Robichaud said the improvement "is based on fewer requests for these units to relocate and cover calls." Hood said that early success "shouldn't be a shock." Will keeping paramedics close to home improve rural response times? 5 hours ago Duration 2:18 Ambulance New Brunswick is extending a pilot project aimed at improving response times in the rural communities of Port Elgin, Fords Mills and Cap-Pelé. "We will absolutely see success if this were to be rolled out." He describes dynamic deployment as a "string theory" — when an ambulance gets pulled from one part of the province, the next-closest ambulance moves closer to the vacant region to fill in. "Consider an ambulance is on string. Every time a string moves, the next closest ambulance moves in a little bit closer," said Hood. He said the problem with dynamic deployment is "ultimately the string ends at some point and that community is the one that's left with nothing." He said that community is usually "rural and remote areas." Hood said the system works great in dense, urban areas like Montreal, but "it doesn't work in a province with the geography such as New Brunswick." "I've heard horror stories of ambulances from Sussex responding to Cap-Pelé for cardiac arrest. That just can't happen." Medavie's contract requires them to respond to 90 per cent of calls within target times of nine minutes in urban areas and 22 minutes in rural areas. Hood said Ambulance New Brunswick employs almost 1,000 paramedics and the province isn't losing any. He also said the change is an improvement for paramedics as well. "It's not unheard of to see three or four hundred kilometres of travel happen by an ambulance and never see a patient," he said. Now, Hood thinks that if paramedics stay in their communities, they will have opportunities to become more "integrated into the health-care system." He said paramedics could check on people in the community that have recently been discharged from hospital and help keep them out of hospital. In the long run, he said it can help prevent constantly "moving patients to health-care facilities only because they haven't had good follow up." Hood would like to see paramedics present in ambulance stations so people can see them for wellness checks, blood pressure checks and blood glucose monitoring.
CBC
27-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Will keeping paramedics close to home improve local response times? Medavie wants to find out
Ambulance New Brunswick is extending a pilot project that aims to improve response times in the rural communities of Port Elgin, Fords Mills and Cap-Pelé.
CBS News
24-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
New Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office report shows faster response times
The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office released its annual report Friday morning. In 2024, average response times for "priority one" calls in unincorporated areas dropped from nearly eight and a half minutes to seven minutes, a full minute faster than the year before. Priority one calls are the most urgent incidents, such as shootings, major disturbances, or other life-threatening emergencies. Sheriff's officials credit the improvement to several factors, including increased aerial support. A helicopter is now deployed seven days a week, typically flying from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m., providing real-time updates to ground deputies. "A deputy may not physically be on scene on the ground, but we have eyes on overhead," said Sgt. Nathan Crain. "They're giving us second-by-second updates as to what's occurring down below." While most areas saw improved response times, Waterford and Patterson experienced slight increases. The sheriff's office said that's due to safety protocols requiring deputies to wait for backup before entering potentially dangerous situations. The office also noted a 29% increase in proactive policing in 2024, as newer deputies fresh from the academy actively patrol and respond to incidents without waiting for a 911 call. Officials said the department's goal is to continue reducing response times across the county in the coming year.
