NEW YORK — On Oct. 22, Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that unions said would have established minimum staffing standards for EMS crews responding to patients and for supervisor vehicles in cities with populations over one million.
The measure, Emergency Response Staffing Bill (S. 6698/A. 7356), passed unanimously by the Assembly and Senate, was introduced in memory of FDNY Captain Allison Russo, who was fatally stabbed while on a break in 2022.
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Russo was working alone when she was killed, which is what inspired the bill’s introduction by lawmakers.
Hochul said she vetoed the bill due to financial concerns, noting that meeting the proposed standards would require New York City to hire about 290 additional EMTs at an annual cost of $25 million, PIX11 reported.
“In this day and age, with the crime in our city, with the lack of respect to authority, we’re sending people out on their own to high-crime-rate areas, and they are exposed to the dangers,” FDNY EMS Local 2507 President Oren Barzilay told CBS New York.
Current law sets the minimum EMS staffing at just one responder. Union officials argue New York City prioritizes other spending over public safety, leaving EMS crews vulnerable to assaults.
Does your department or agency have a minimum staffing number for treating patients and for supervisors in the field?
