As participating members of the FDNY EMS system, voluntary hospital EMTs and paramedics work in close partnership with FDNY municipal teams to provide basic and advanced life support.
They are operationally identical to FDNY EMS units with respect to level of care, medical treatment protocols and equipment. Because they are staffed by hospital personnel, however, the ambulance markings and uniforms are distinct. To publicly identify them as 911 system ambulances, they display FDNY EMS member insignias on their cab doors.
Voluntary ambulances coordinate care with all Emergency Receiving Hospitals in New York City. As 911 system ambulances they are required to remain neutral with respect to transport destination, and are expressly prohibited from preferential “steering” of patients to their own hospitals under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
The trade-off
Hospital-based EMS has the highest wages and benefits of any sector, with far less job security. Conditions vary considerably by garage — higher-income neighborhood hospital garages, such as those serviced by New York-Presbyterian, Northwell or Mount Sinai, differ markedly from others.
| Title | Stage | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| EMT | Entry | $22–33/hr |
| EMT | Annual progression | ~$1/hr per year |
| Paramedic | Entry | $38–54/hr |
Organize where you work.
EMSPAC is all-active-duty and all-volunteer. Joining is what lets us respond to hardships, push advocacy, and build a national organization around our demands.