Lebby said:
FDNYrigs said:
scoobyd said:
Seems like they just sit in the Bronx deployment site doing nothing, 24 hours a day.
Not sure what you saw, but there was a frequency the 250+/- mutual aid units were operating on and I heard them taking in call after call. I think they were working from 7am to 11pm - I'm guessing with two shift. I dont know about AMR busses, but there were unit from big depts across the country. St Louis, Atlanta, many others. I think all were ALS.
Yes, there are about 250 buses from AMR and its associated companies. They aren't taking into too many jobs a piece, but some of there wait times at the hospitals have been a few hours, which combined with their unfamiliarity with the area can make a single job take half a tour. They work a 12 hour day shift, having a shuttle taking them from their hotels to the staging area often resulting in 14 hour days. No night tours are being ran. I believe they are all BLS. They originally signed up on a 15 day contract which has been extended another 15 days, but after that they will go home. They work 7 days a week, 12-14 hours per day. I believe they are being paid all 24 hours at time and a half. I've seen units from New Haven, DeKalb, St. Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, Detroit and have heard of units from California. The vast majority are transport buses, with very limited 911 experience and unfortunately some haven't cut it and had to be sent home. When they originally came out they had an hour notice and drove up to 23 hours straight switching drivers as they went. Hard workers, and good people from what I've seen.
Thank you Lebby, aka Philip D., as you continue to keep us updated on the FDNY/EMS during this coronavirus pandemic.
Over the last decades we have had guys like "Johnny Gage", "memory master", I believe "69METS", as well as the owner of this site, "tbendick" work the tough ghetto streets of the former Health and Hospitals NYC EMS and later some with the merger of the FDNY/EMS. A tough, dangerous job that very seldom gave credit to these and other Life Savors like them.
I'm sure most of us here feel that the members of the FDNY/EMS these days are far from compensated for the job they do.
I think in some aspects, for the members of the FDNY/EMS of today during this coronavirus pandemic, it may be compared to some of the dangerous and difficult days of the FDNY War Years which was dealt with by the FDNY Firefighters of that time.
No doubt, this time will go down in the History books of the FDNY/EMS as some of its most difficult days.
We ALL hope that this will end soon and Never Again Be Repeated in the history of any city or state in this country.
To the members of the FDNY/EMS and other EMS organizations, please stay safe and THANK YOU FOR THE JOB YOU DO.
In their own words - April 15, 2020:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPOcrF9TZW4