REMARKS
Council Member Joann Ariola's opening remarks on ambulance response times
0:00:41
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4 min
Council Member Joann Ariola, chair of the Fire and Emergency Management Committee, delivers opening remarks for a joint committee hearing on increasing ambulance response times in New York City. She highlights the importance of the issue, acknowledges the challenges faced by EMS workers, and expresses concern over the trend of longer response times.
- Ariola notes that average response times for life-threatening emergencies have increased from 6:22 in FY2019 to 7:23 in FY2024, a 10% increase.
- She emphasizes the critical nature of quick response times for serious medical emergencies and their impact on patient outcomes.
- Ariola calls for clarity from the FDNY on reasons for increased response times and their plans to address the issue.
Joann Ariola
0:00:41
Good morning.
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My name is Joanne Ariola, and I am the chair of Fire And Emergency And Management Committee.
0:00:49
I would like to begin by acknowledging my council members who are here today by Zoom, Council Member, Moyer.
0:00:58
I'd also like to thank chairs, Brewer, and Narcisse for their work on today's hearing.
0:01:05
And welcome and thank members of the administration and the public who have joined us today, and we'll be providing testimony on this important topic.
0:01:14
Today, the committee on fire and emergency management along with committees on oversight and investigation and hospitals will be holding an essential oversight hearing on ambulance response times.
0:01:27
As we all know, our first responders, notably EMTs and paramedics, but also firefighters, are tasked with delivering critical emergency medical care throughout our city.
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These dedicated public servants routinely provide lifesaving care and respond to around 1,600,000 emergency medical calls each year, and we are forever grateful for their service to this city.
0:01:54
At the same time, we must acknowledge that EMS workers undertake an immensely difficult job.
0:02:00
Due to the stressful work conditions, long hours, and emotionally challenging work.
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Not only that, EMS workers particularly those employed by the FDNY, are vastly underpaid for the vital jobs they do.
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Yet despite these obstacles, each day, thousands of ambulance workers strive tirelessly to serve this city and deliver timely emergency medical care to all New Yorkers.
0:02:30
Despite a dedicated and talented workforce, It is apparent to anyone paying attention that our city has struggled to meet its obligations to provide timely emergency medical care to all New Yorkers.
0:02:46
Publically available data clearly reflects this disturbing trend, which began before the COVID 19 pandemic and has substantially worsened in the last year.
0:02:58
For example, The average response time for life threatening medical emergencies increased nearly 1 minute in the last 5 years from 6:22 seconds in fiscal year 2019 to 7:23 seconds in fiscal year 2024.
0:03:15
This is a 10% increase.
0:03:18
For these most critical incidents, the most serious medical emergencies, such as an individual in cardiac arrest, or an unconscious person every second counts.
0:03:32
And the patient outcomes can be dramatically altered by even the slightest delay in the provision of medical care.
0:03:40
I am extremely concerned that New Yorkers are facing negative health outcomes due to the delays in the delivery of emergency medical care and the worry this instills in a lack of public confidence in our city's ability to provide vital services when they are most needed.
0:03:58
As chair of fire and emergency management, I expect to hear testimony from the fire department that will provide clarity as to why we have seen dramatic increases in response times to emergencies medical emergencies, particularly in the last year, and learn more about department procedures related to dispatching, staffing, and maintenance of ambulances.
0:04:22
But also the department and administration are able to speak more broadly hopefully of a commitment to dedicating increased resources to the provision of pre hospital emergency and truly remain dedicated to examine the agency's operations and interagency coordination to identify how the city can reverse this troubling trend of increased emergency response times because we cannot continue down this same path.
0:04:55
I now yield to chair Brewer for her opening remarks.
