Lawmakers express horror at planned EMS layoffs

On Thursday, it was revealed that roughly 400 of New York City’s 3,700 emergency medical services workers may soon be let go, sparking outrage among the city’s elected officials.

"Even with the threat of a second wave of COVID-19 looming and two recent outbreaks in Brooklyn, Bill de Blasio and his team at City Hall wants to balance the city's budget on our backs, eliminating some 400 emergency medical responder positions and placing every New Yorker's life at risk," Oren Barzilay, president of the FDNY EMS Local 257 union, said in a statement that disclosed the pending cuts.

Barzilay has also said that these cuts will increase response times and will likely result in the deaths of New Yorkers. The decision to cut the city’s EMS workers has struck many as particularly cruel, considering their work on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. 

NYC's EMS workers have just done the equivalent of wartime service, at enormous cost to their physical and mental health.

To lay them off now is just wrong. And would leave us dangerously unprepared during a pandemic which is far from over. https://t.co/8u5pD5vBh9

— Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) August 20, 2020

Unacceptable.

EMS workers got us through this pandemic. They are essential to the health & safety of NYers, esp since COVID is still with us.

Not a single EMS job should be cut - least of all when City Hall is doling out raises to political staffers.https://t.co/uPnUtfffV3

— Andrew Gounardes (@agounardes) August 20, 2020

EMTs & paramedics were there for us when the City's infection & death rate was increasing daily.

They deserve our deepest respect and support, especially as we prepare for the possibility of a second wave. It's not enough to say thank you, we need to protect their livelihoods. https://t.co/3Mgh0AdO3c

— Carlina Rivera 利華娜 (@CarlinaRivera) August 20, 2020

This is outrageous. We must do everything we can to avoid any layoffs but even preliminary plans should be made with surgical precision not mindless slash-and-burn. And certainly not our EMTs and paramedics who are already working with skeleton crews! https://t.co/drORPL1vJ7

— JustinBrannan (@JustinBrannan) August 19, 2020

The layoffs are a part of broad sweeping cuts expected across the city. Just last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that 22,000 city workers may be laid off without the state or federal aid required to fix the budget deficit created by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

However, reports say that another group of first responders – the NYPD – won’t necessarily be asked to lay off officers, despite widespread calls to reduce the size of the force.

"To be clear: City Hall does not want these layoffs to happen, but this is the hole we are in without a stimulus or borrowing authority," Bill Neidhardt, a spokesperson for the mayor, said in a statement. "Our EMTs and firefighters save lives every day and we are working with their unions to find personnel savings to avoid layoffs, but unfortunately all agencies will face layoffs."

While no one has been terminated yet, cuts are expected to begin toward the end of September if the city has not received any additional funds.