OUCH!
I became an EMT back in the mid 1980’s (yes, a dinosaur!). I will never know if it was a New York State rule, or just our class instructor – but one of the things our class was told was that a 2-person crew HAD to be able to lift a 250-pound patient without help. This was long before power lift devices on the stretcher or ambulance; it did not have to be equal lifting, but between the two, we had to be able to lift that weight. It was not until several years later that I first learned about “lift-assists” when we could call another crew, local police, or firefighters.
Through the years I saw some corps acquire self-rising stretchers that helped in loading patients, and other assists that saved an EMT’s back. The volley corps that I rode with for three decades was never able to make that investment. And no joking, sometimes I swear that my back still feels it! Getting hurt on duty was, thankfully a rarity, but it did happen – and still does. Lifting, carrying bags, trudging through all kinds of weather, and even riding the back of a rig as it maneuvers through busy traffic, there are many opportunities for aches and pains, or worse.
In all the United States, OSHA reports that EMS providers receive about four times as many injuries as other occupations. While many of those injuries are mostly sprains and strains, there are serious injuries in the thousands and more than ten service-related deaths each year. Earlier in 2025, a NYS EMS Workforce Report cited “systemic underfunding and a shortage of EMS professionals, which contribute to unsustainable working conditions”. Shortfalls and heightened risk of injuries were also noted during under-trained EMS responses to emergency scenes including Driver Training, lack of proper stocking of equipment, and not adhering to recommended safety protocols while treating patients including improper use of PPE.
In addition to physical injuries, it was observed that EMS providers often suffer mental depression, sometimes to the extent of suicidal contemplation, and it is necessary to find ways to cope. Some coping methods, themselves, are not healthy; providers may drink alcohol in excess (off-duty), use medication to ease mental or physical pain, not get enough sleep, or engage in dare-devil activities as an outlet. Drivers may be impaired due to exhaustion which can lead to serious and sometimes fatal accidents while rushing to a scene.
Relatively new in EMS history, NYS has initiated a safety program that includes mental health counseling, wellness support, and other statewide programs. Programs such as Mount Sinai's EMS Injury Prevention Program focuses on injury prevention, mental health, and other wellness projects. There is an emphasis on EMS leadership to develop programs, accessible to all providers, which spotlight musculoskeletal injury prevention, safety in and out of the rig during response, and overall health and well-being. There is also attention towards rig maintenance and proper and secure equipment stocking.
According to the NYS Fire and EMS directory, there are sixty-two counties in the third most populous state, 18 regional EMS councils, an estimated 1-thousand EMS agencies and more than 47-thousand square miles for emergency services to cover. It is imperative that we ensure the health, safety, and viability of our NYS EMS responders to be there for more than 19-thousand New Yorkers.
I'm a former NYS EMT and still part of an EMS & FD family. I like to think I can write ;)
