‘People are leaving’: New York City’s EMS workers are struggling to make ends meet
EMS workers, who make life-or-death decisions in emergencies, are the lowest paid first responders After 31 years in New York City’s emergency medical services, Oren Barzilay has started giving young New Yorkers advice he never imagined giving when he began his EMS career. “Don’t come here,” he tells them. “You are only going to hurt yourself.” It is a striking reversal for Barzilay, the recently…
Emergency medical services (EMS) workers in New York City are facing financial struggles, despite being among the lowest-paid first responders in the city. Oren Barzilay, recently retired president of FDNY EMS Local 2507, says he regrets telling young New Yorkers not to pursue a career in EMS, as their wages have not improved after 31 years of service. Barzilay earns $59,000 annually, a figure that has remained stagnant, while firefighters with similar experience earn nearly double that amount.
The issue of low wages in EMS has become a contentious point in Mayor Eric Adams's administration, which was built on a platform of supporting organized labor and paying workers more. As mayor, Adams is now facing the challenge of negotiating labor contracts for a vast municipal workforce, while also contending with a finite city budget. The strain on EMS workers is evident in their personal lives, with many living in shelters or relying on government assistance to make ends meet.
The average ambulance response time has also increased from 11 minutes and 21 seconds in fiscal year 2025 to 13 minutes and 9 seconds in fiscal year 2026, indicating a growing strain on the EMS system. Dr. Shreya Kashyap, a neurology resident, emphasizes that even a delay of minutes can have life-altering consequences for stroke patients, highlighting the critical nature of timely EMS response.
Despite political support for raising EMS compensation from some city officials, such as Councilmember Sandy Nurse, the city's EMS workers continue to leave their jobs in search of better pay. Their departure exacerbates an already concerning trend of EMS workforce attrition, underscoring the need for a sustainable solution to address the pay disparity in the city's EMS system.
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