NYC responders taking longer to get to emergencies and fire deaths are rising, data shows
Big Apple first-responders took longer to get to fires and other emergencies, while more people died in blazes, at the start of this fiscal year compared to last year’s, continuing a troubling trend, City Hall figures show.
The combined average response time for “life-threatening medical emergencies” by ambulances and fire companies jumped 9 seconds, or 1.5%, from 9 minutes and 43 seconds in the first four months of fiscal year 2023-24 compared to 9 minutes and 52 seconds for the same period in 2022-23, according to Mayor Eric Adams’ preliminary management report released last month.
Fire deaths involving civilians also jumped 12.5%, from 16 to 18, from the same period a year ago — July through October.
“Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are especially deadly and have increased during the reporting period,” the FDNY said.
The rechargeable batteries are found in electric bikes and scooters as well as cars, laptops, tablets, phones and common household devices.
“The FDNY is advising the Administration and is working with legislators at the city, state and federal levels to implement regulatory requirements aimed at reducing the availability of faulty lithium-ion batteries,” the FDNY said in the report.
The latest response-time and fire-death figures reflect a worrying trend of increases over the past two complete fiscal years, 2021-22 and 2022-23, statistics show.
Between July through October of this year, response times to life-threatening medical emergencies by fire companies averaged 25 seconds slower — or 4.5% higher — than for the same period the past fiscal year, jumping from 9 minutes and 8 seconds to 9 minutes and 33 seconds.
For ambulances, response times averaged 3 seconds faster — falling from 10 minutes and 40 seconds to 10 minutes and 37 seconds.
There were 2,148 more life-threatening incidents reported, from 209,502 to 211,650 — a 1% increase — in the same periods.
“Increased response times may be attributed to higher levels of traffic, an increase in the overall incidence of life-threatening medical emergencies, a decrease in the number of ambulances in service per day, and an increase in ambulance emergency room turnover time,” the FDNY said of the data.
The Fire Department noted it extended the life of existing ambulances and leased more vehicles to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
But these older ambulances were decommissioned starting fiscal year 2023, thus reducing the peak number of ambulances and reducing tour units during peak 911 call volume.
In addition, the agency cited a “significant rise” in the time required for an ambulance to transport a patient to the emergency department and then resume service.
The head of the union representing paramedics and emergency technicians said the slower response times should not come as a surprise because the FDNY is not spending enough on its Emergency Services Unit, while there are 11% fewer ambulances as the department battles constant turnover because of low pay.
“We are the busiest emergency medical response agency in the world and busier than ever saving the lives of our fellow New Yorkers, but our pleas for help are continually ignored,” said Oren Barzilay, president of FDNY EMS Local 2507.
“Spending on EMS has been flat for years, including poverty wages, coupled with a lack of resources that has had a notable, detrimental effect on our members. The FDNY is an over $2.35 billion agency, yet the allocation it commits for EMS spending is a ridiculously low 1/6 of that,” Barzilay said.
His union is one of the few that has yet to secure a new labor contract with the Adams’ administration.
