Newsroom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2025

DC 37 condemns Adams Administration’s changes to B-HEARD program

NEW YORK— District Council 37 represents the uniformed EMS workers of the Fire Department of New York. The union issues the following statements in response to the Adams Administration’s announcement this afternoon that it will remove the duties of the B-HEARD response program from EMS workers at FDNY and reassign them to Health + Hospitals personnel and contracted workers.

“Mayor Adams’s decision to shift the response for mental health calls from the trained EMTs and paramedics at FDNY to Health + Hospitals is shortsighted and unnecessarily rushed. The plan privatizes the ambulance system with hospital contractors instead of simply backfilling the vacant positions perforating our EMS ranks. Any proposed changes to the B-HEARD program should be at the discretion of the incoming Mayor and Fire Commissioner.” – Henry Garrido, Executive Director of District Council 37

“EMS members in the B-HEARD unit are experts in the response, treatment, and transporting people having a mental health crisis. Making changes to privatize the B-HEARD unit will waste taxpayer dollars and not provide the best service for those experiencing a mental health crisis.” – Vincent Variale, President of Uniformed EMS Officers Union Local 3621

“Privatizing our calls to a contracted ambulance service and hiring nurses at nearly 3x the rate of pay of some of our members is simply wrong. The men and women of EMS have responded to individuals experiencing mental health crises for the past 50 years and have successfully carried out the work of the B-HEARD program in spite of the limited resources the current administration has given us. Taking away our job duties and instead investing in another agency shows deep disrespect for our hardworking EMTs and Paramedics.” – Oren Barzilay, President of Local 2507 Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics, and Fire Inspectors