First responders demand data on rising assault reports

Fifty New York City EMS members packed a courtroom in the Bronx Hall of Justice on Oct. 9 to observe the trial of Jose Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 25, faced murder charges for the March death of EMT Yadira Arroyo, when he hijacked her ambulance and ran her over.

Arroyo’s death has raised concerns about the safety of EMS personnel in New York City, where first responders handled more than 1.45 million medical emergencies last year, according to city data. The New York City Fire Department keeps records of assaults on its members. However, those records are not easily accessible. The lack of information has made it difficult to find a solution to the rising number of assaults, prompting the union to take action.

“We asked the FDNY to create a database of these incidents,” said Oren Barzilay, president of the Local 2507 EMS Union. “This is a complex problem. It’s too early to determine what kind of call types are causing these problems.”

In September, the union launched a campaign encouraging members to report assaults through a form available on the union website. Barzilay said the number of reported assaults has increased in the past two years based on this survey, rising to an average of one or two reports every day.

Data on assaults of FDNY first responders is available only through a Freedom of Information Law request, according to the FDNY press office.

EMS personnel are 22 times more likely to be assaulted at work than the general population, according to the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Research published last month found that 75 percent of EMS workers reported experiencing violent encounters in the past year. In December, 2015, New York state legislature passed a law making it a felony to physically attack on-duty first responders.

Thousands of uniformed firefighters and EMTs gathered Oct. 11 in Riverside Park to honor FDNY members killed in the line of duty in the past year. This includes EMT Yadira Arroyo, who was killed in March when Jose Gonzalez hijacked her ambulance and used it to run her over. Arroyo is one of many first responders that faced dangerous situations in the line of duty. (Gabby Landsverk, Columbia University)

The Regional EMS Council of New York City has adjusted its protocols for EMS patient care in response to increased reports of assault.

“It does appear to be getting worse,” said former council chair Yedidyah Langsam. “One of the reasons is that more and more patients are overdosing. People who overdose are more likely to be violent, either before or after you treat them.”

The NYPD described Gonzalez as “emotionally disturbed” and believed him to be under the influence of drugs at the time he assaulted Arroyo.

Treatment protocols have been changed to allow paramedics to sedate violent patients, Langsam said. But more than 60 percent of ambulances are manned by EMTs, who aren’t allowed to administer intravenous sedatives.

“EMTs don’t have anything to protect themselves,” Langsam said. “The first thing every EMT is taught is scene safety. If it’s dangerous to you, don’t proceed. That’s really the only training.”