Ambulance response times now over 12 minutes
The Chief
March 17, 2026 2:33 pm | BY HARPER FREEMAN
Leadership of unions representing FDNY EMTs, paramedics and EMS officers once again warned that their low pay is driving first responders out of FDNY EMS, leading to worse response times and improper care for New Yorkers. Speaking at a City Council preliminary budget hearing for the FDNY’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget last week, Oren Barzilay, the president of Local 2507, representing EMTs and paramedics, and Vincent Variale, representing EMS officers, warned of a mass exodus of first responders.
An FDNY EMT starts at a salary of $39,486, according to union leaders – less than some McDonalds and Walmart employees make, Barzilay pointed out. After five years, EMT salaries increase to $59,000, a far cry from FDNY firefighters who start at $54,122 and increase to $105,146 after 5.5 years, according to the department.
FDNY EMS employees have been working on an expired collective bargaining agreement since June 2022 and though the unions have been bargaining for a new deal since 2024, little progress has been made. Some EMS workers, now unable to bear the cost of housing, are resorting to living outside the city, in their cars or in homeless shelters, Variale and Barzilay said.
With pay not increasing over the past four years while EMS workers respond to more and more calls, the union leaders predict that up to 1,500 EMS workers, or over a third of the entire force, could leave the service within the calendar year if no change is made. The union leaders expect a 70 percent turnover rate for employees working between three and five years.
‘A breaking point’
Barzilay argued that the issues with retention, as well as low morale, are the cause of worsening response times for FDNY ambulances.
“Because EMS is hemorrhaging EMTs, response time is going up,” Barzilay said. “This means new Yorkers face longer waits for critical lifesaving care in emergencies. “The crisis has been long in the making and we are now at a breaking point.”
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