By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh
New York City residents are waiting longer to receive attention from NY police, medical and fire departments in response to emergencies.
As reported by the NY Post, staffing shortages are to blame for the longer response times recorded in emergencies situations across the five boroughs. Of course, there has also been a spike in crimes, which has added to the problem. During the past fiscal year ending June 30, emergency response times jumped 9.1%, to 12 minutes and 44 seconds, up from 11 minutes and 40 second, as per Mayor Eric Adams’ first management report. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in fiscal 2019, the average response time was just 9 minutes and 55 seconds.
On Friday, the new Fiscal 2022 Mayor’s Management Report was released, highlighting all progress for city agencies during the final six months of former-Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and the first six months under Mayor Adams. The report showed a troubling uptick for the year, particularly in response times for armed robberies, burglaries and other “critical crimes.” On average, police responded to these crime calls in 8 minutes and 26 seconds—up from 7 minutes and 52 seconds the previous year. In fiscal 2019, the average was just 6 minutes and 38 seconds from when a 911 dispatcher fielded the call for help.
The city says an increase in traffic congestion citywide contributes to the slower response times. Critics rather explain this to be a result of the ‘defund the police’ movement and thesubsequent mass exodus of cops from the NYPD. Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who chairs the fire and emergency management committee, spoke out blaming de Blasio’s progressive policies for making cops feel “disrespected”, leading them to opt for early retirements, which resulted in a short-staffed NYPD. “We need to fix this because without public safety, you have nothing,” Ariola said Saturday. “People’s lives are in danger.”
Per the Post, combined response times to “life-threatening medical emergencies” in fiscal 2022 by FDNY ambulances and fire companies were up 8.7%, or 46 seconds, to 9 minutes and 30 seconds. As per the report, that response time is close to that in fiscal 2020, when first responders had their hands full due to the pandemic. In fiscal 2019, the average was faster by about a minute, even though they were responding to more calls then compared to this fiscal year.
“Every second counts in [Emergency Medical Services] because a person could bleed out if an ambulance doesn’t get there on time,” said Oren Barzilay, president of Local 2507, the union representing over 4,100 NYC emergency medical technicians and paramedics. “And if there’s a decreasing number of ambulances on a tour, someone will have to wait longer for an ambulance — and they might die.” He said Saturday that the city is short hundreds of EMTs and should be prioritize the problem.
Mayor Adam’s office provided the following response: “Public safety is a top priority for Mayor Adams — and ensuring first responders can service people efficiently and effectively is a critical part of how we keep New Yorkers safe,” said mayoral spokesman Jonah Allon. “… We will take all necessary steps to promote quicker response times across all uniformed agencies and protect the health and safety of New Yorkers.”
