NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — FDNY EMTs would receive body armor and both self-defense and de-escalation training under two bills passed by the New York City Council on Thursday.
The bills, introduced by Staten Island Councilmember Joseph Borelli, are intended to push back against high employee attrition rates in EMTs, which the bills attribute to the risks of providing pre-hospital care.
In 2022, EMTs were attacked 363 times, which according to the most recent FDNY data obtained by the New York Daily News, is a four-fold increase from 2018.
Also referenced during deliberations about the bills was the September 2022 fatal stabbing of on-duty FDNY paramedic Capt. Alison Russo, who was killed in an unprovoked attack while near her home in Queens.
“These brave men and women put themselves in harm’s way every day to save New Yorkers’ lives,” NYC Council Minority Leader Borelli said in an official statement. “The least we can do is help protect them so they, too can get home safe to their families.”
FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh spoke on the bills, which she said would provide ballistic-grade and stab-resistant protections for paramedics
“We need to make sure that they can get to the patient as soon as possible, that’s essential to saving their lives, and they’re often doing that in the case where the incident itself is ongoing. So that vest gives them a little more protection and a little more confidence,” Kavanaugh said.
She also focused on the importance of EMTs receiving the necessary protective training, which the second bill would require FDNY paramedics to receive at least every three years.
“Some of it is actually live, scenario-based training, which is really important,” Kavanaugh said. “You know, talking about how you deal with someone who might be in the throes of a mental health crisis, how you might deal with people who are in the midst of a violent incident with another person, and how you make sure that that space is safe for you to walk into and that they understand that you’re there for one reason only, which is to provide care.”
Mayor Eric Adams is expected to sign the bills into law.