by ARI PAUL
The Fire Department will now have a combined Medal Day for firefighters and Emergency Medical Service members on the first Wednesday in June, to the dismay of unions representing employees in both fields.
Until this year, the EMS Medal Day was a separate event during National EMS Week at the end of May. EMS has been a division of the FDNY since 1996. It was previously under the auspices of the Health and Hospitals Corporation.
Forcing Unity on Them
In a phone interview, Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano said that he ordered the change because EMS responders and firefighters already participate in a joint Memorial Day.
"We're one department," he said. "It's not different lines of work."
The joint Medal Day will take place June 4 at City Hall. It will be moved to Pace University in the case of inclement weather.
Fire and EMS unions responded bitterly to the news last week.
'Diminishes Recognition'
"[Fire Commissioner] Nick Scoppetta and Sal Cassano are clearly responsible for this decision and it illustrates that they do not understand the sacrifices and tradition of both services," said Uniformed Firefighters Association President Steve Cassidy. "Their efforts have diminished the recognition of both firefighters and EMS personnel."
Patrick J. Bahnken, who as president of Local 2507 of District Council 37 represents Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians, echoed the sentiment, saying that the move would "diminish the heroism" of both groups.
Local 3621 of DC 37 President Tom Eppinger, who represents EMS officers, has often said that EMS members are treated like second-class citizens within the department and stated that a combined Medal Day didn't do anything to fix the problem.
"I understand and I can commend Chief Cassano's actions of 'I'm trying to make this one department,' but when you have EMS people treated significantly different regarding pay, benefits and working conditions that they have control over, then please leave us separate," he said. "We have had an EMS Week where we for years now under HHC and FDNY have highlighted the hard work and heroic acts of our members. Now what we are slowly doing is dismantling EMS Week and blending it into the Fire Department where EMS will lose its identity. And we are totally against it."
Noting that 40 percent of firefighter calls are medical emergencies and that EMS responders take some of the same risks as firefighters, Chief Cassano rejected the notion that they were separate forces. In particular he recalled how EMS responders had attended to firefighters injured on the job.
"We work side by side; we're not two different departments," he said. "Why shouldn't they be honored together?"
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