With ambulance and fire calls on the rise, the FDNY is turning to new technology to improve its operations and efficiency when saving lives.
There were more than 1.6 million ambulance runs in 2015, a 9 percent jump from the year before, and firefighters handled about 3,000 more fire emergencies in 2015 than in 2014, according to the department’s statistics.
FDNY Deputy Chief Michael Fields said the agency is looking at new vehicles, gadgets and programs to take on those extra cases and already has been rolling out some of its prototypes and pilot initiatives throughout the five boroughs.
“We are thinking outside of the box and doing any type of idea that works,” he said.
The FDNY gave amNewYork an inside look at some of its newest tech during a special presentation at their facility in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The department gets frequent complaints about the noise and exhaust from ambulances that are running while parked between calls. The EMTs need that engine on in order to be ready at a moment’s notice, and more importantly, to power radio and medical refrigeration systems.
“People don’t understand why we have to keep it running, but it’s very crucial to [paramedics’] jobs,” said Paul Miano, the FDNY chief of EMS Haz-Tac Battalion.