The City Council has passed two new bills that mandate that the FDNY provide body armor and training in self-defense as well as de-escalation for all EMS workers in their service. Staten Island Council Member Joseph Borelli had introduced the legislation in November. Assaults on FDNY EMTs and paramedics have increased since the pandemic. Two members of FDNY EMS have been killed while on duty, and in 2020, 213 were assaulted, 209 in 2021, and 179 in 2022. Union leaders say these numbers are most likely an undercount.
Read the full story by Duncan Freeman for The Chief-Leader, published April 12, 2024, here: https://www.thechiefleader.com/stories/council-passes-ems-body-armor-self-defense-training-bills,52261
