At one time, New York City was the U.S. coronavirus epicenter. It took a huge financial toll on the city; since the beginning of the pandemic, the city has lost $9 billion in tax revenue.
Now nearly seven months after the first case reported on American soil, the city says they are considering cutting hundreds of paramedics and EMTs, something many in the city fear could be dangerous during a second wave.
NYC EMT Sheena Williams says, “If you think about it, New York is on our backs…You call 911, who shows up first? EMTs do.”
And NYC paramedic Megan Pfeiffer says, “We were everybody’s heroes and now it’s kind of forgotten about, tossed to the side. We’re nothing.”
EMTs are the lowest-paid first responders in New York. Their salaries cap out at less than half of what a firefighter could make in the city.
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