AMR ambulances deployed to NYC

[pefroymson]

I have herd from the interweb 500 ambulances have been deployed to NYC via FEMA.
AMR would be the only company I can think of that could fill such a order
Any truth to it?

Also a clarification question.  I asked before this all started about number of ambulances on the street at a given time and was advised something like "300 tours" . Do you guys consider a Tour to be a staffed unit of a single medic working or the total ambulances in a 24 hr period (3 shifts =100 units) ?
We here in the west talk in terms of #als unit (EMT/PM) and BLS units (EMT/EMT)
So say in Las Vegas,  AMR has 40 busses in service with 3 shifts so at any time 40 busses.
Sorry, just trying to get my head around 5000 calls in a 24hr period. :-[

 

[paul612]

While there are AMR trucks that went to NYC I am not sure how many. There are also a few ambulances from lots of other ambulance companies. I know there are trucks from up my way in Massachusetts that responded.

 

[raybrag]

I've seen Georgia and Ohio license plates in some of the videos, too. Not to mention ALL of the states immediately around New York.

 

[scoobyd]

Seems like they just sit in the Bronx deployment site doing nothing, 24 hours a day.

 

[HCO]

pefroymsn re your question:
In normal times FDNY deploys about 300 ambulances on the early 8-hour tour, about 470 on each of the two later tours. 66% of the total are FDNY EMS, 34% are furnished by ?voluntary hospitals.? All are dispatched by FDNY.
ALS units are staffed by two paramedics, BLS by two EMTs. During the current situation medical authorities have reduced mandatory staffing to one paramedic and one EMT on ALS units, one EMT and one CFR on BLS units. Not implemented.
EMS is increasing the number of units working 12-hour tours, however the number working early and later tours will not change substantially.
FEMA?s National Disaster Medical System has furnished about 500 Paramedics/EMTs and about 250 ambulances to the city

 

[Len90]

Seems like they just sit in the Bronx deployment site doing nothing, 24 hours a day.

They do not just sit around. A lot of them were helping with inter facility transports as the hospitals tried to balance the load during the surge which was during the first two weeks of April.

Lakeside EMS from from Lakeside Illinois had three rigs in NYC. AMR had a lot and a bunch of other companies sent.

 

[nfd2004]

AMR covers many of the cities and towns within Fairfield and New Haven Counties in Connecticut.

Both counties are within about 60 or so miles from NYC. So I assume that they have sent units into NYC.

 

[pefroymson]

Thanks for the clarification.  Stay Safe

 

[BCR]

AMR New Haven, Bridgeport and Waterbury all sent ambulances and personnel. AMR New Haven also sent a command vehicle. I?m sure all the other New England AMR Divisions sent cars as well

 

[FDNYrigs]

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.

 

[Lebby]

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.

 

[nfd2004]

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 

 

[FDNY793727]

There are also AMR ambulances out in Nassau County supplementing the responses of the police medics, it?s been a big relief to them.

 

[BCR]

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.

I believe you are right about them all being BLS. All the ambulances sent from CT to my knowledge were BLS. I know a medic on the deployment list was told that FEMA only wanted EMTs for NYC.

 

[Lebby]

I saw this morning that the city has requested a second wave for 30 more days comprising of both ALS and BLS, but we'll see what the city and FEMA do with the request.

 

[Brooklynalex32]

Call numbers are back to normal. Sunday it was actually lower then usual. Why do they still need them?

 

[Lebby]

Call numbers are back to normal. Sunday it was actually lower then usual. Why do they still need them?

I agree

 

[Brooklynalex32]

And lebby I donno what it's like in Manhattan but in Brooklyn the hospitals are empty. We actually get triaged right away without waiting which never really happens. Because Corona virus hospitalisations are down and people are too scared to go to hospitals for regular things

 

[Lebby]

So towards the end of last week our calls dropped to lower than pre-Covid, I was doing an unheard of 2 runs a day, sometimes I wouldn't even transport during a tour. Now, we're back up to 5-8 runs, did 5 transports during Tour 2 today. Perhaps a little slower than average but not by much. Hospitals are back to how they were more or less before this started.

 

[Len90]

Crews were definitely a mix of ALS/BLS. Crews I saw in the hospital had one medic one EMT which allowed them the ALS designation.

Interesting that you are seeing it return to normal levels at the hospitals. COVID numbers are overall down/stable in Staten Island. Still very heavy on the vented patients. We have a few corona floors now empty and closed which have been able to stay closed for a week or more now! Makeshift critical care units are all still open though.