Serving as the 35th commissioner of the FDNY was the honor of a lifetime. We accomplished so much during a very short tenure, setting this great department up for operational success for generations to come.

But one nagging issue that has not been settled: a contract for FDNY’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.

Pay for members of the department doesn’t fall within the fire commissioner’s purview, but let me be clear: FDNY EMTs and paramedics deserve a monumental pay raise that reflects the vital importance of their work.

New Yorkers don’t think twice about the men and women who arrive when they dial 911 — they just expect help will come.

Too few are talking about a looming crisis in public safety that the incoming administration must address: pre-hospital emergency care in New York City.

Unless we find pragmatic solutions to improve compensation for members of EMS, the system that saves lives every single day will collapse.

EMS is the future of the FDNY. Every single day, EMTs perform a complex,

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