Why did you leave NYC*EMS or FDNY EMS

[FormerEMSLT297]

O.K. as promised I will start this one off,,, start with a bio, like where you worked, how long, EMT Medic, dispatcher, etc. What would have made you stay, are you in a better place now, or do you regret the move. I do know of some people who have left and come back, so here it goes.

NYC*EMS 1987-1997

EMT @ Sta. 13 Dispatcher in Comm, Paramedic in Sta. 18 and MBC, Lieutenant Sta. 11, 15, and Station 41.

Left about 10 months after to FDNY Hostile takeover,,, they called it a merger when I was told that LT's and Capt's going back on the bus (ambulance) EMS ranks would STOP at Capt. top salary was about 45K base.

At the time no line of duty disability, and no 25 year retirement, no matter when you were hired you had to work until age 62... that would have been about 41 years for me.

FDNY was trying to run things but knew and still know NOTHING about EMS. They replaced an EMS chief with a FDNY career FF to run the "Bureau of EMS" So I saw the writing on the wall.

10 years later,, I'm making about lots more money than I was when I left EMS. I'm in a much more progressive system, with better training and better equipment. They FDNY have back slid on the idea of NO EMS Chief's, but the basic system is still badly broken and sending firetrucks with CFR's doesn't add more transport units to the over taxed system... My co-workers who were LT's with me, 1 is a chief, 1 a Capt, several still Lt's and yet others have left the job. They got a 25 year retirement and Line of Duty 3/4, but the base salary that they are paying, you can't afford to live anywhere near where you work.

I return to NYC and speak with friends still on the job on a regular basis and they are all basically miserable. The new hires while some are good, some are scraping to bottom of the barrel. They are recruiting in homeless shelters, NO H.S. Dsiploma, no worry our academy is a BOCES site you can get your G.E.D. So, overall I'm very very happy I left. I miss some of the calls, miss some of the trauma, don't miss the FDNY DRAMA.

Go Black Sheep, Go Dinosaurs, NYC*EMS R.I.P 1970- 3/17/1996.

My thoughts are my own and do not represent my agency or department.

[Alex Woo]

Well I was kind of forced out. I worked at H63, Cabrini Medical Center as a EMT-P from 99-08; the hospital closed due to the recommendation of the Berger Commision Report. I was the EMS Manger there from 06-08. I worked also at NYDH, from 99-09; left because I wasn't able to fulfill my obligations as a perdiem; I was part-time there for a long time. If Cabrini never closed, I probably will still be there; grey and all. However, there were too many problems; from the Hospital Administrators, the employees, the vendors, the lack of money and resources, the name of the hospital, the phone calls and interfacing with FDNY EMS, the lack of support in general, and the cash flow of the hospital. It was a horrible last 2 years there. I am glad its over and I've turned the page on this chapter. I currently work at Lifeline Ambulance; they were gracious enough to offer me a manager position after my tenure at Cabrini.

[Richard B the EMT]

I was a colleague of FormerEMSLT297, when both of us were working for the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation EMS, in the "Communications Bureau", as EMD was then known. I was in from June 3, 1985, until the "merger" with FDNY, effected, as mentioned, on March 17, 1996, and then with FDNY EMS Command until October 5, 2010.

After 11 years in "CB", I was transferred to EMS Station 41 (later renumbered as Station 47), where FormerEMSLT297 was actually my immediate supervisor, when I fell and tore my left meniscus, necessitating corrective surgery. Following the surgery, I re-injured the knee at least twice, ruined my back a few more times, and am now "pre-arthritis" in the left knee, with pain in the right knee following an emergency surgery for an aneurysm/in-bleed on the right femoral artery entry point for inserting the cardiac stent (basically, the "plug" fell out).

Following my last back injury, I worked "inside" at FDNY HQ, in the Bureau of Health Services, on light duty. When all available time for the light duty was exhausted, I couldn't lift without pain in my back or knees, and so I was placed onto "Terminal Leave", to use up all my assorted leave times. I still was, until my last day, looking for a "Reasonable Accommodation" posting, where I wouldn't need to lift, but there were more folks looking for such postings than available postings.

(I openly wonder if my overweight condition, my cardiac condition, and/or my age had something to do with me not getting a posting. I lack any proof, so I cannot sue.)

After 4 tries in the Lieutenant's promotional exam, I finally passed, placing 194 on the list, but then suffered the last back injury. The Chief who interviewed me, told me they had so many Lieutenants, already in title, looking for an R.A. posting, they didn't want to promote any more lieutenants who would be paid for work they couldn't do (I was already registered with the EEO office as looking for an R.A posting, and was one of at least 12 in this status), and as such were passing me over. In another interview 6 months later, the same Chief told me, as I was not actively in an R.A. posting, I was in a kind of "limbo", and as such, they were, again, passing me over. Hell, I wasn't hurt when I passed the test!

So, I am medically retired from the FDNY EMS, after 25 years municipal service. I have 5 years on my most recent EMT recertification, so I might seek out employment in a non city or state EMS agency, just not in the trucks themselves. Overall, including time in service on a Volunteer ambulance, and concurrent with the VAC, time served in 5 Private (proprietary) non 9-1-1 ambulance services, I already have 38 years "in".

[ECC]

My ODA was 3-14-88. I worked at 37 on 44B, 37G, 40B and 40A. I got transferred to 41 in '89 and when A/C Kowalczyk disbanded all the Queens TPUs I got shipped onto 43A until I went to Medic School in '90. After Medic School, I worked 35W1 until 1995 when I got promoted to Lieutenant. I was #10 on that list. I went to Communications, then back to 41 (now 47), then got transferred to the Bronx in the Great Redistribution of Supervisory Wealth in 1998. I worked 26 (22), and am a plankholder @ 17, where I was the Administrative Officer. I finally returned to Brooklyn in the beginning of 2001, and went to 31 (36) despite my desire to go to 57, and was the Executive Officer there.

I realized that I may have been doing Captain level work, and very well, but I did not have a 'Rabbi' looking out for me. I also was miserable. I worked EMS to feed my Firefighter/Paramedic habit in Long Island. So I found a job in a city who's inhabitants are not only happy, but grateful for the quality service we deliver. Most importantly, I am very happy now.

[K4h2]

I was EMS34H2 from 06-94 to 06-98 and definetly feel PUSHED OUT in the early FDNY purges designed to reinforce their overinflated budget by cutting as many long term Provisional employees as they could while keeping the fifth man on the truck. I remember how they started the Bi-Weekly Wall of Shame news letter where they posted the names of all their victims and the trumped up BOGUS excuses they used to terminate personnel unfortunate enough to be stuck in the Provisional status the City saw fit to place us in for just such an occassion!I remember listening to the Old Time Fire Fighters bragging about how they could do CFR for overtime repeatedly because they couldnt be punished for failing or just refusing to cooperate and take the class one time! I saw and still see nothing good about the Takeover (they called it a merger!!! haha). I remember the earliest memos sent out advising that "due to the lack of attrition in the Paramedic Grade, ALL FURTHER Paramedic Upgrade Classes were cancelled! I believe the ratio of ALS to BLS was 3.9 or 4:1 at that time. I also remember the early attempts to improve EMS outlooks, the way they Promised to paint our trucks with our unit nickname as a UNIT COHESION maneuver. I personally would have preferred the shiney trinkets!!! I agree they did not and from all reports from MOS still on the job still do not have a clue about running EMS! I am absolutely in a better place making more money with no where near the stress and oh yeah....no has shot at my ambulance and I have not had to ask some dirty little twelve year old with a 9mm permission to enter a building in 10 years!!!