FDNY EMTs to get body armor, regular self-defense training under NYC Council bills

EMTs working for the FDNY must receive body armor and regular self-defense training courses thanks to a pair of bills passed by the City Council on Thursday.

The legislation, which now heads to Mayor Adams’ desk for his signature, comes amid an uptick in attacks on EMTs in the city in recent years. In 2022, there were 363 attacks on emergency medical service workers, a fourfold surge compared to 2018, according to the most recent FDNY data.

Staten Island Councilman Joe Borelli, who penned the two bills, highlighted the 2022 killing of FDNY EMT Capt. Alison Russo-Elling.

Russo-Elling, who died from being stabbed in a random attack while on duty near her Queens home, may have survived if she had body armor on, Borelli, the Council’s Republican minority leader, noted.

“These folks don’t have a choice whether they get to respond to an incident or not — we expect them to go wherever the danger is,” he said before the vote. “They’re our angels and we should treat them like that and make sure they are given the best chance of coming home safely to their loved ones every night.”

Adams spokeswoman Kayla Mamelak wouldn’t say whether the mayor planned to sign the the bills. She did, however, suggest the bills are moot.

“All FDNY EMTs are already provided body armor,” she said, adding the mayor’s team is “happy to hear that the City Council supports our efforts.”

An FDNY spokeswoman said the department also already provides EMTs with self-defense training.

Asked why his bills are still necessary, Borelli said they would standardize the type of vests and training EMTs receive.

Christian Agredo, a spokesman for the union representing EMTs, said his members have had issues with getting vests replaced. The FDNY spokeswoman said EMTs are given replacement vests every five years.

Borelli’s body armor bill, which passed the Council in a unanimous vote, requires that all EMTs who respond to emergencies be provided with vests that meet ballistic and stab resistant standards.

His second bill, which also passed unanimously, would require that FDNY EMTs receive self-defense and de-escalation training at least every three years.

The training will be geared toward teaching EMTs how to defend themselves against certain violent situations they are more likely to encounter on the job, like incidents involving individuals with mental illness. The training will also include a focus on teaching EMTs how to recognize and understand mental illness, according to the bill.

“We owe it to them to take every possible measure to safeguard their lives while they protect ours,” said Councilman Kevin Riley, a Bronx Democrat who co-sponsored the bills.

With Thomas Tracy