Key facts
- FDNY EMTs start at $39,386 annually, with five-year earners making around $59,534.
- Firefighters with similar experience can earn up to $105,146 annually.
- Over 4,500 EMS workers respond to more than 1.9 million emergencies annually.
- The number of active EMS responders statewide fell 17.5% between 2019 and 2022.
- Average ambulance response time increased in fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
- Contract negotiations between the city and EMS unions are reportedly underway.
New York City's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers are struggling with low wages and pay disparities, leading to a significant exodus from the profession and longer emergency response times. Oren Barzilay, a 31-year veteran and former president of FDNY EMS Local 2507, now advises new recruits against joining the service, citing his own stagnant salary of $59,000 after three decades.
Paramedic Natasha Villaruel highlighted the intense pressure of her job, where life-saving decisions must be made within seconds. Despite the critical nature of their work responding to over 1.9 million emergencies annually across the five boroughs, EMS workers are among the city's lowest-paid first responders. An FDNY EMT starts at $39,386, barely above minimum wage, and after five years earns around $59,534, while a firefighter with similar experience can make nearly double at $105,146.
This pay gap forces many EMS workers to rely on external support, with some living in shelters or using food stamps, according to Villaruel. The staffing shortages have contributed to an increase in average ambulance response times, which rose from 11 minutes and 21 seconds in fiscal year 2025 to 13 minutes and 9 seconds in fiscal year 2026. Statewide, the number of active EMS responders decreased by 17.5% between 2019 and 2022, a trend union leaders attribute to low wages.
Councilmember Sandy Nurse has supported initiatives to improve EMS compensation and establish a dedicated Department of Emergency Medical Services. While the Mamdani administration states that contract negotiations with EMS unions are ongoing, Barzilay remains skeptical, though union representatives like Anthony Almojera, vice president of Local 3621, express cautious optimism, particularly with the appointment of Lillian Bonsignore, an EMS veteran, as fire commissioner. However, some workers, like Villaruel, remain doubtful of political promises.