Just got back from a great trip to the Big Apple with my friends from Albemarle County fire. The purpose was to buff FDNY firehouses and units and we saw a ton. The link goes to a video of the pictures I took.  FDNY trip pic video

Couple of thoughts about what goes on in NYC. FDNY is an amazing organization, incredible people, incredible equipment, and incredible training. The “Rock” their training school and simulation center is amazing and their devotion to training is astounding, especially since they think a great deal of themselves, and usually organizations like that rest on their laurels, the FDNY doesn’t do that.

But the disdain for EMS in NYC is really shocking. As many of you know FDNY EMS and FDNY are essentially separate organizations living under the same roof. The FDNY firefighters are trained in CFR (first responder) which is less training than EMT, and yet first respond to all major EMS incidents. What they do their other than comfort and help lift is hard to figure out. And that’s fine, I don’t like many EMS calls myself, but it does actually save lives occasionally, and in order to save the lives you should, you need to have a solid EMS system, which does not seem to exist in NYC. Also, as a former New Yorker, I know how hard it is for us to think anything done outside of NY is worth a sh*t, but I think if you took an unbiased person and had them watch the NYC EMS system in work during a complex call, and then watched the Virginia system in most jurisdictions, I think the differences would be striking.

I don’t know the solution for EMS in NYC but the first step in addressing any problem is realizing you have one.