Q&A
Council Member Marmorato questions FDNY on ambulance response times in the Bronx
1:08:43
·
3 min
Council Member Kristy Marmorato questions FDNY Chief Michael Fields about ambulance response times in the Bronx, particularly focusing on a case in City Island where a constituent waited 40 minutes for emergency services. Chief Fields explains the dispatch priority system and the seasonal allocation of additional resources to City Island and Orchard Beach.
- Fields clarifies that low acuity calls (like falls) are given lower priority in dispatch
- FDNY provides additional ambulance units to City Island and Orchard Beach during summer months
- The dispatch priority can change if the caller reports worsening symptoms upon calling back
Kristy Marmorato
1:08:43
Thank you, Cherriola.
1:08:44
Good morning.
1:08:45
Good morning.
1:08:46
How are you doing?
Michael Fields
1:08:47
Alright.
Kristy Marmorato
1:08:47
So are you guys familiar with the Bronx at all?
Michael Fields
1:08:51
I love the Bronx.
Kristy Marmorato
1:08:52
Okay.
1:08:52
Good.
1:08:53
We had a unfortunate incident the other night in the stadium where the Yankee's unfortunately lost, then that was terrible.
1:09:00
So I just wanted to kind of focus on.
1:09:03
I know some of my other colleagues in the bureau have complained of wait times with ambulance response times.
1:09:10
We had an individual a constituent in City Island.
Michael Fields
1:09:14
Okay.
Kristy Marmorato
1:09:15
And they had fallen.
1:09:16
I think it was like 10:10.
1:09:18
They waited 20 minutes.
1:09:19
There was no response.
1:09:20
They called 911 again, and then 40 minutes from the original call.
1:09:25
The engine showed up at this man's house.
1:09:27
Can you just, like, walk me through the process of, you know, what happens once the call's made and the determination and how you decide to call the engine or if you send an ambulance over to the facility?
1:09:41
So they're kinda, like like, we're a desert where we are, but they really are a desert.
Michael Fields
1:09:45
And You you are a desert where you are.
1:09:47
Yeah.
1:09:47
In the summertime, we provide that particular area with gated as well as a beelish in the Desesundia.
1:09:53
Because you peak in the summer period.
1:09:55
Yes.
1:09:55
So we look at that data, and and based off that, we're able to reallocate resources.
1:10:00
In respect to this particular call type, I don't know the specifics off the top of my head, but the fact that you said it came in as an injury that would be considered low acuity.
1:10:09
That's a priority file, meaning that we're gonna dispatch all priority 1, 2, 3, and 4 assignments before we dispatch priority 5 assignments.
1:10:18
You said that you call that somebody call back in 20 minutes, If they said the same thing, then the cool type stays the same, which is an injury.
1:10:26
However, if they said something different, which is now they experience shortness of breath or something about the injury is different or he's unconscious or he's going in and out of consciousness and something similar to that, then the call type change.
1:10:39
If the call type changes into a lope into a higher priority in which CFRD is assigned to, then that company that's on city island would have responded to that person.
1:10:49
So that it didn't take them 40 minutes for them to respond.
1:10:53
But once the upgrade happens, then the priority changes, and now the response changes.
Kristy Marmorato
1:10:59
And who makes that determination?
Michael Fields
1:11:01
That's based off dispatch.
1:11:02
That's made that dispatch.
Kristy Marmorato
1:11:04
Okay.
1:11:04
Alright.
1:11:05
And you said you have additional ambulances on City Island.
1:11:09
Is it City Island and Orchard Beach?
Michael Fields
1:11:11
And Orchard Beach.
1:11:12
Correct.
1:11:13
So Orchard Beach, we have 2 gala units that's assigned there.
1:11:16
That starts at Memorial Day.
1:11:19
Make sure right, your memorial up until Labor Day.
Kristy Marmorato
1:11:21
Okay.
Michael Fields
1:11:22
And we throw an additional BLS that sits right at the bridge of City Island because we know that the volume goes up and the next closest BLS is about 8 minutes away.
Kristy Marmorato
1:11:33
Yeah.
1:11:33
It's kinda tough.
1:11:34
Alright.
1:11:34
Well, thank you so much.
1:11:35
No problem.
Joann Ariola
1:11:42
The chair now recognizes council member Rivera for questioning.
