FDNY Pro EMS

October 4, 2016

FDNY Pro EMS: Commissioner’s Brief for 3/2016

Recently, I was asked: “What is different about this 15th anniversary of 9/11? Has anything changed”? Personally, I feel the same about it as I did last year and the year before and the year before that. I have stated previously that my internal calendar activates a level of discomfort beginning in mid-June that then […]

October 4, 2016

Recalling 9/11: “Plane into World Trade Center”

I was promoted to Captain for FDNY EMS in August 2001. I went through a training class and was assigned to EMS Operations. My first day working at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn was September 4, 2001. I was working directly for the Chief of EMS, learning what my responsibilities would be and meeting new coworkers. […]

October 4, 2016

Recalling 9/11: “Send Me Every Available Ambulance You’ve Got!”

September 11, 2001, marks one of the darkest days in the history of both our nation and the FDNY. In addition to the 343 Department members who were killed on this day, this terror incident represents the largest attack ever made on the American homeland and its aftermath continues to be felt as our Department […]

October 4, 2016

Out of the Ashes: Preparedness and Training Post-9/11

Fifteen years ago, the largest and most unexpected emergency response event in the modern history of New York City forever changed the world in which we live. After losing 343 members of the FDNY family on 9/11, the Department was forever changed, rebuilt out of the ashes and now is stronger and more resilient than […]

October 4, 2016

Inside Look: The FDNY EMS Pipes and Drums–It’s a Story About Duty, Honor and Tradition

EMTs, Paramedics and Firefighters are part of a service that is unlike any other. The successful outcome of a situation is not the result of an individual’s actions, but rather the actions and cooperation of a team.  Perhaps nowhere else outside of the military does this hold true. Each day, each assignment, each task is […]

October 4, 2016

One on One: Recalling 9/11 and the Importance of Capturing Firsthand Accounts

At the time, I thought I would remember every single thing about the response and recovery effort at the World Trade Center. But now, 15 years later, as I look back to that period for this issue of Pro EMS, I suddenly realized that I can’t really recall every precise detail or the exact date […]

October 4, 2016

Special Apparatus: FDNY Gators

In 1999, as part of the preparation for the anticipated larger than usual Millennium New Year’s Eve gathering in Times Square and the possibility of City-wide Y2K computer and system failures, the City purchased several Gator carts from the John Deere Co. These six-wheel, diesel-powered, off-road vehicles were much more adaptable than its predecessors. The […]

October 4, 2016

EMS Leader: Improving Individual Performance and Organizational Effectiveness Through Mental Preparedness

The FDNY is one of the nation’s premier emergency service agencies. The Department’s procedures and protocols influence practices throughout the country. Major emergencies in the City are observed and studied throughout the emergency management industry. However, the most critical factor in determining the success of a major emergency is how well the Department prepares its […]

October 4, 2016

FDNY Pro EMS: Commissioner’s Brief for 3/2016

Recently, I was asked: “What is different about this 15th anniversary of 9/11? Has anything changed”? Personally, I feel the same about it as I did last year and the year before and the year before that. I have stated previously that my internal calendar activates a level of discomfort beginning in mid-June that then […]

October 4, 2016

Recalling 9/11: “Plane into World Trade Center”

I was promoted to Captain for FDNY EMS in August 2001. I went through a training class and was assigned to EMS Operations. My first day working at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn was September 4, 2001. I was working directly for the Chief of EMS, learning what my responsibilities would be and meeting new coworkers. […]

October 4, 2016

Recalling 9/11: “Send Me Every Available Ambulance You’ve Got!”

September 11, 2001, marks one of the darkest days in the history of both our nation and the FDNY. In addition to the 343 Department members who were killed on this day, this terror incident represents the largest attack ever made on the American homeland and its aftermath continues to be felt as our Department […]

October 4, 2016

Out of the Ashes: Preparedness and Training Post-9/11

Fifteen years ago, the largest and most unexpected emergency response event in the modern history of New York City forever changed the world in which we live. After losing 343 members of the FDNY family on 9/11, the Department was forever changed, rebuilt out of the ashes and now is stronger and more resilient than […]

October 4, 2016

Inside Look: The FDNY EMS Pipes and Drums–It’s a Story About Duty, Honor and Tradition

EMTs, Paramedics and Firefighters are part of a service that is unlike any other. The successful outcome of a situation is not the result of an individual’s actions, but rather the actions and cooperation of a team.  Perhaps nowhere else outside of the military does this hold true. Each day, each assignment, each task is […]

October 4, 2016

One on One: Recalling 9/11 and the Importance of Capturing Firsthand Accounts

At the time, I thought I would remember every single thing about the response and recovery effort at the World Trade Center. But now, 15 years later, as I look back to that period for this issue of Pro EMS, I suddenly realized that I can’t really recall every precise detail or the exact date […]

October 4, 2016

Special Apparatus: FDNY Gators

In 1999, as part of the preparation for the anticipated larger than usual Millennium New Year’s Eve gathering in Times Square and the possibility of City-wide Y2K computer and system failures, the City purchased several Gator carts from the John Deere Co. These six-wheel, diesel-powered, off-road vehicles were much more adaptable than its predecessors. The […]

October 4, 2016

EMS Leader: Improving Individual Performance and Organizational Effectiveness Through Mental Preparedness

The FDNY is one of the nation’s premier emergency service agencies. The Department’s procedures and protocols influence practices throughout the country. Major emergencies in the City are observed and studied throughout the emergency management industry. However, the most critical factor in determining the success of a major emergency is how well the Department prepares its […]