Spectrum News 1 NY
By Spectrum News Staff | New York City | March 24, 2026
Last week marked the 30th anniversary of the merger of the New York City Fire Department and the Emergency Medical Service.
While the merger has been a success by some metrics, EMS workers say that they are underpaid compared to their counterparts at the fire department, prompting many to leave the job.
Union leaders say the growing loss of first responders is driving up emergency response times across the five boroughs.
They are now asking for support from the City Council and the Mamdani administration to raise salaries for EMTs and paramedics.
Vincent Variale, the president of the local Uniformed Emergency Medical Service Officers Union, and Oren Barzilay, the president of the local Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics and Fire Inspectors union, joined NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” Tuesday to discuss more.
Tap the video player above to watch the interview.