NEW YORK — The NYC paramedics’ union issued a vote of no confidence in the chief of FDNY EMS and is demanding that he resign because of his management of Superstorm Sandy.
Union members say that EMS Chief Abdo Nahmod kept crews in flooded stations that should have been evacuated and forgot about them, according to CBS New York.
Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano has issued a statement defending Chief Nahmod saying that he has “the utmost confidence in Chief Abdo Nahmod and his performance before, during and after Hurrican Sandy.”
Commissioner Cassano also said that he “ordered all FDNY members—EMTs, paramedics, and firefighters—to stay in service … for as long as possible.”
The union also claims that Chief Nahmod allowed EMS units to remain on streets without shelter during the storm and did not call off-duty personnel for help.
According to the New York Post, stations that are located in flood zones were not told to evacuate even though it is protocol to prepare for evacuation three days ahead of time.
Some stations in Queens were so flooded that paramedics had to wait atop an ambulance, with one eventually falling into the water and having to swim to safety and forcing firefighters to make rescues with pickup trucks.