By: Meyer Wolfsheim

New York City’s largest municipal union is fiercely criticizing the FDNY and Mayor Eric Adams for placing 82 firefighter trainees into emergency medical technician (EMT) jobs — sidelining certified EMT candidates and allegedly violating civil service laws, the New York Post reported.

Local 2507 of District Council 37, which represents FDNY EMTs and paramedics, claims the city improperly assigned fire cadets to provisional EMT positions without exams or formal applications. The union insists these cadets never sought EMT roles and were forced into the jobs against their wishes.

“These 82 people wanted nothing to do with EMS,” said Local 2507 President Oren Barzilay. “They applied to become firefighters.”

The controversy centers on a group of part-time fire cadets who completed a two-year training program in May aimed at increasing diversity within the FDNY. But instead of progressing to the Fire Academy as expected, the city redirected them into EMT training beginning June 16, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

At the cadet graduation, FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker publicly defended the decision. He explained the move was intended to keep the trainees employed, offer them union protections, and prepare them for eventual firefighter training.

“I thought it is in their best interest to become full-time employees of the FDNY, to go into a union, to get a raise, to get benefits and to begin to be trained as EMTs,” Tucker said. “One day, maybe they’ll thank me. Maybe they won’t.”

However, Barzilay told the New York Post that only 69 of the 82 cadets actually reported for EMT training — and many have no intention of staying in those roles. Crucially, none of these cadets took the required EMT civil service exam or appeared on official hiring lists, while hundreds of certified EMTs remain on standby, the union claims.

“The city is ignoring candidates who have passed all the necessary steps and just sliding in fire cadets who haven’t earned the right to work as EMTs,” Barzilay said.

Tucker mentioned some cadets could eventually enter the Fire Academy in October, while others might remain in EMT positions for up to two years.

The union also raised serious public safety concerns. Barzilay warned that forcing unmotivated cadets into EMS jobs could result in mistakes and jeopardize lives.

“If they’re not in it 100%, people can get hurt,” he said. “Lives are on the line.”

Beyond immediate hiring concerns, Barzilay fears this controversial shift may be part of a broader agenda.

“It seems like they have an agenda to cross-train future firefighters into EMTs and paramedics — which ultimately would lead to the dissolvement of EMS as a separate entity,” Barzilay warned, as reported by the New York Post.

The lawsuit accuses city officials of violating civil service laws by appointing cadets to EMT roles without following proper hiring procedures, including exams and applications.

While the FDNY is aware of the lawsuit, a spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

Meanwhile, the union remains steadfast in demanding a fair hiring process that prioritizes certified EMT candidates who have passed all civil service requirements.

As the city continues to defend its strategy, union leaders and many in the EMS community are sounding the alarm — arguing that public safety and fairness are at risk when politically driven staffing decisions override established rules.