A scorching heat wave last week is shining a spotlight on New York City’s strained emergency medical response system.
FDNY EMS Local 2507, the union for thousands of emergency medical technicians and paramedics, responded to over 20,000 medical emergencies over the sweltering four-day span.
On Primary Day, the number of medical emergency calls was 20 percent higher than average, according to the union.
City Health Department data shows that emergency department visits for heat-related illnesses peaked Wednesday at 141, while 112 New Yorkers showed up at hospitals the day before.
The heightened demand for emergency medical responses meant some calls had to be placed on hold, while others waited up to three hours for an ambulance to arrive, union president Oren Barzilay said.
“Every day, FDNY EMS members are struggling to keep up with exceedingly high call volumes with an underappreciated and underinvested in workforce,” Barzilay said in a statement.
The Fire Department told one news outlet that it responded to about 1,000 more calls per day than usual, noting that calls were prioritized so the neediest New Yorkers got help as soon as possible.
Each summer, more than 500 people die prematurely because of hot weather in New York City, according to the city Health Department — and summers are getting hotter because of climate change.
And that’s only exacerbating retention issues among the city’s EMS workforce, which has gone without a union contract for three years, Barzilay said.
Emergency response times have risen in recent years due to a lack of emergency medical technicians and paramedics as well as a smaller pipeline of potential recruits, the Mayor's Management Report found in January 2025.
“Heat waves like this only exacerbate this fundamental issue,” he said in a statement. “It’s why there is such a massive burnout and stress among our membership, who are providing lifesaving medical care and transport each day in neighborhoods across our city.”
IN OTHER NEWS:
— Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation Friday that authorizes certain health care professionals licensed outside New York to treat participants in specific sporting events: the Ironman Lake Placid 2025 or an event sanctioned by the New York Road Runners.
“With world-class athletes traveling and competing across the state, New York wants to ensure they have the best care,” Hochul said in a statement. “This legislation not only provides more opportunities for health care professionals, but it also allows athletes to have top-of-the-line care during their events.”
— Northwell’s Center for Gun Violence Prevention received $200,000 in gifts to expand research into the root causes of gun violence and to support development of a national toolkit for health systems to implement gun violence prevention initiatives.
ON THE AGENDA:
— Tuesday, 10:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The Public Health and Health Planning Council's health planning committee will convene.
MAKING ROUNDS:
— Andrew T. Pickens was appointed executive director of western region hospitals for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network.
GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@politico.com and Katelyn Cordero at kcordero@politico.com.
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