Ambulances take an average of close to 10 minutes to respond to calls, officials reported last week – a number that Queens lawmakers and others called alarming.
Emergency response times for FDNY ambulances are on the rise this year, clocking in at nearly 10 minutes, according to new reporting methods that start as soon as a call is made to 911.
Officials last week reported that city ambulance response times were 9 minutes and 42 seconds in January and February. The new reporting method now takes into account the amount of time it takes for a caller to be routed to a fire department dispatcher.
At a budget hearing, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), chair of the City Council Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee, said she was troubled by the new numbers she’s seen.
“Nine minutes and 42 seconds for life-threatening emergencies is too high,” Crowley said.
Crowley, along with other legislators, expressed concern that the new emergency response rates were climbing. The older method of reporting, which started the clock from the moment a fire department dispatcher was reached, would have put January and February’s response rates at just over 7 minutes.
Last year, the average response rate for medical emergencies, using the old reporting method, was 6 minutes, 47 seconds.
“The Fire Department and the City are always working to further reduce response times in order to get New Yorkers the best pre-hospital care as quickly as possible, while responding to more calls than ever before,” said FDNY spokesman Elisheva Zakheim, in an emailed statement.
In addition, FDNY officials said that longer response times were also partially due to this past winter’s severe weather, which caused a steep rise in call volume.
Some local residents in Woodhaven and elsewhere in the borough speculated that the response times could be related to NYC’ past problems with its 911 call dispatch system that was prone to dropping and losing calls as well as misdirecting emergency service personnel to wrong addresses.
But, fire department officials quickly dismissed that possibility.
“The increase [in response times] is not related to the EMS dispatch system or unified call taking,” Zakheim said.
Alexander Blenkinsopp, a spokesperson for the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association, said the increased emergency response times underscore the need to ensure the survival of volunteer ambulance companies throughout the city.
“This is further evidence that our communities’ volunteer ambulance corps provide a very important – and, in some cases, life-saving – role,” Blenkinsopp said.
“These organizations know our neighborhoods and work for us on a volunteer basis. Without them, ambulance response times would be even higher than they already are,” he said.
“Officials concerned about the availability of swift emergency medical treatment should answer the call and ensure that organizations like the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps are not left to die.”
By Alan Krawitz
