New York City Council approved several bills Thursday that would increase safety measures for emergency medical services workers, including bulletproof vests and self-defense training.
The legislation, initially sponsored by Minority Leader Joseph Borelli, would require the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to provide workers with additional safety measures as they face various dangers on the job, including assault.
“These courageous men and women put themselves in harm’s way every day to save the lives of New Yorkers,” Borelli said in a released statement.. “The least we can do is help protect them so that they too can return home safe to their families.”
Introduction 126-A would require the FDNY to provide EMS workers with bulletproof vests that “meet ballistic and stab resistance standards”.
The New York City Council on Thursday approved several bills that would increase safety measures for emergency medical services workers, including bulletproof vests and self-defense training. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
Introduction 127-A would also require that the firefighters provide “de-escalation and self-defense training” to its workers. Training would be available once every three years, according to the council’s website.
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“I have been advocating for these bills for several years and am happy to have finally been able to get them passed,” Borelli wrote on formerly Twitter. “Paramedics are not second-rate first responders and deserve the best equipment and training we can provide.”
These two bills, initially sponsored by Minority Leader Joseph Borelli, would require the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to provide workers with additional safety measures when they encounter various workplace hazards, including assault. (Fatih AktaÅ/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The bills will now head to Mayor Eric Adams’ desk.
Emergency medical service workers have previously faced physical attacks in New York. In August 2023, a New York man was charged with attempted murder and assault after repeatedly stabbing a paramedic in the back of an ambulance.
The bills will now head to Mayor Eric Adams’ desk. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Paramedic Julia Fatum, 25, required stitches for her chest injury, emergency surgery on her leg and several other surgeries for nerve damage in her left arm following the ‘attack.
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Fox News’ Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
