The number of people who died in fires fell by 25% last year, even as emergency crews responded to a record number of medical emergencies, the FDNY said Wednesday.
Sixty-six people died in fires across the five boroughs in 2019, 22 fewer than the 88 victims in 2018, officials said. Yet the number of medical emergencies jumped by more than 2,300, bringing last year’s total to 1,531,870 — the second highest in the FDNY’s history, officials said.
More than a third of the medical calls were for life-threatening emergencies such as heart attacks, people who fell unconscious or choking victims, officials said.
“Thanks to the brave work of every FDNY member, and despite a growing number of medical emergencies our members face, fewer New Yorkers lost their lives in fires in 2019,” FDNY Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement Wednesday.