Union spokesperson states staffing shortage is the issue, but it also seems that some system/process changes and priority reevaluation may also help?

------------------

Father says FDNY units were nearby when his son went into cardiac arrest. Why didn't they respond?

February 11, 2025

https://www.cbsnews.com/.../fdny-ambulance-response-time.../

NEW YORK — A young man who went into cardiac arrest in the Bronx died at the hospital after waiting nearly 20 minutes for paramedics.

After his death, his father discovered multiple available units had been positioned just down the block. So why weren't they dispatched?

CBS News New York investigative reporter Mahsa Saeidi looked into the system that kept the first responders away and in the dark.

Friends waited 19 minutes for paramedics to arrive

Tyler Weaver's 24-year-old son, Nick Costello, died in December of 2023.

Costello was at his friend Emily Levy's apartment after a night out in the Bronx. At 5:08 a.m., Costello collapsed.

"Every second felt like an eternity," Levy said.

Levy called 911, telling the dispatcher, "He just passed out. You need to get here now."

In a recording of the call, Levy's mom is heard saying, "I think it might be an asthma attack because he's turning blue."

EMS records show the dispatcher upgraded the incident to a cardiac arrest. He tells Costello's friends to start CPR. 

"We're not very certified in CPR, sir. Can you walk us through it?" one friend says.

Utilizing Computer Aided Dispatch, or CAD, the dispatcher searched for nearby available crews. Online, none appeared, but in reality, less than 500 feet away, multiple first responders were at the scene of a fire, including, records show, at least 10 ambulances.

While those paramedics were on standby with no patients, Costello's friends were waiting.

"Watching the literal life leave his eyes," Levy said.

"They had the people that could've saved Nick," Weaver said, "and their bureaucracy and procedures didn't allow for that help to be sent."

Levy showed Saeidi how close they were that night to the paramedics, and potentially life-saving help.

"This is my shortcut that I've been using my whole life. I can't even walk up these steps anymore, this whole past year. I take the long way," she said.

In 2022, the average ambulance response time to life-threatening medical emergencies was approximately 7.5 minutes. It took 19 minutes for paramedics and EMTs coming from across town to arrive by Costello's side and rush him to a local hospital.

"My wife and I were both holding his hand, and talking to him," Weaver said. "Just letting him know that we loved him. I think that was the biggest thing that we wanted him to know."

Father files complaint with FDNY after son's cardiac arrest death

After Costello's death, Weaver filed a complaint with the FDNY. He wanted to know why EMS members at the scene of the fire did not respond to his son.

"If they were informed that there was a cardiac arrest happening behind them, I have no doubt that they would've helped," Weaver said.

Weaver says FDNY officials have not answered his question. They declined to answer CBS News New York's questions, too.

Instead, a department spokesperson said in a statement: "We are saddened by the passing of Nicholas Costello. Reducing response times is critically important to the FDNY. We are constantly evaluating our procedures and technology to ensure our members can respond as quickly and as safely as possible."

There was an internal investigation into the case after Weaver's complaint. The investigators found dispatchers followed all current policies and procedures, but they said the FDNY should consider making changes so that, for example, resources from a fire can be redirected to a cardiac arrest, if needed.

CBS News New York asked the FDNY if they've made any changes as a result of this incident, but they ignored that question.

Right now, the average ambulance response time to a life-threatening emergency is less than 9 minutes.

Officials say hospital closures, congestion and traffic changes, like more bike lanes, are all having an impact.

Critics call for changes to CAD system, more staffing

New York City Councilmember Joann Ariola chairs the Fire and Emergency Management Committee. She says the FDNY must change its policies and its system.

"The current system does not allow dispatchers to take offline ambulances and put them back on," she said.

"So dispatch wouldn't have been able to communicate with the crews that were at the scene of the fire?" Saeidi asked.

"Correct because the CAD system would not allow it," Ariola said.

Last November, FDNY Chief of EMS Operations Michael Fields told the committee the current CAD system is 30-plus years old. He said a replacement was in the works, but gave no timeline.

Additionally, the president of the FDNY/EMS union, Oren Barzilay, said staffing is a problem. He said as a precaution, crews had to remain on standby at the fire that night in December.

"At a major fire, a floor can collapse, a roof can collapse," he said.

"How do we make sure that the fire is covered and neighborhoods are covered?" Saeidi asked.

"We need to add additional ambulances," Barzilay said.

One patient was treated on scene at the fire.

Weaver said Costello's death resulted from the fire, too; the smoke triggered his fatal asthma attack.