What’s behind increase in 911 response times

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — When you pick up the phone to call 911, you expect paramedics to get there in a hurry. An Eyewitness News investigation found it’s taking them longer, on average, to show up to medical emergencies in New York City. Not just seconds but in some cases minutes longer.

During a life-threatening emergency, every second counts.

Three years ago, it took ambulances and fire companies an average of 5:53 to get to a life-threatening emergency. That number jumped to more than 7 minutes last year, and it increased another 20 seconds to 7:23 in 2024.

Eyewitness News found an even bigger increase for non-life-threatening calls. Last year, EMS workers took an average of 18.6 minutes to arrive. That’s up more than 5 minutes compared to a decade ago according to the NYC 911 End-to-End Detail data.

“It should be alarming to everyone,” said Oren Barzilay, the President of Local 2057, the union that represents EMS workers in New York City.

This August, Maisha Morales said she had to wait longer than she expected when she called 911 for her father’s medical emergency.

“He needed to go to the hospital,” said Morales. “It took so long,” she said.

According to the FDNY, the call was entered into the dispatch system at 2:50 am and was coded as “unknown.” The FDNY said the call was held for 31 minutes due to a big spike in calls and limited units available. The call was assigned to a unit at 3:21 and EMS workers arrived at 3:28. Workers then transported her father to the hospital in stable condition.

“This cannot happen to anyone else,” said Morales.

Her father later died at the hospital after going into cardiac arrest. The family is still waiting on autopsy results.

Morales testified at a recent city council meeting that was dedicated to improving the process and response times.

The FDNY said they’re responding to an average of 100 to 150 calls an hour. The city’s call volume has increased dramatically but the number of EMS workers has not.

With a starting pay between $18 and $20 dollars an hour, they’ve had a hard time keeping EMS workers on the job.

“If we can reduce the amount of unnecessary 911 calls that will free up dispatchers and alleviate the burden,” said Chief Michael Fields of NYFD Emergency Medical Services. He spoke in front of city council members in November.

The FDNY said, EMS workers are facing delays at hospitals. They have to wait an average of 40 minutes at hospitals waiting for medical staff to take their patients.

“This means the EMS units are not in service and unable to get to the next 911 call,” said Chief Fields.

They’re launching pilot programs to try and speed up the process and launched what they’re calling a comprehensive examination into the entire EMS process.

In addition, the FDNY says traffic also contributes to the problem. They’re having to transport more patients, longer distances at slower speeds. Eyewitness News will be investigating how congestion pricing tolls could impact times in the weeks ahead.

A spokesperson for FDNY sent a statement:

“Responding to New Yorkers in need is a top priority of the FDNY. In recent years, EMS has experienced an explosion in call volume, including in the number of high-priority calls, as well as an increase of transports to the hospital, leading to the overcrowding of emergency rooms, and hurt by the closure of some hospitals. Traffic conditions, increased density in the city and road changes all contribute to response times. Reducing response time is a top priority for the FDNY, and the City recently announced several initiatives meant to help, including hospital liaison officers, paramedic response units, increased access to telehealth and raising awareness of when to call 911.”

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