Michael Regan (718) 694-2025 (FDNY)
MAYOR GIULIANI, QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENT SHULMAN AND FIRE COMMISSIONER VON ESSEN UNVEIL NEW COMMUNITY-BASED EMS STATION
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani was joined by Queens Borough President Claire Shulman and Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen in officially opening the new community-based Battalion 46 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Station at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. The new EMS Station, which houses five ambulances and an Advanced Paramedic Response Unit (APRU), serves the Queens communities of Corona, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside.
"It is a pleasure to officially open the Battalion 46 FDNY-EMS Station, which represents a smart, sensible improvement to the City's emergency response network," Mayor Giuliani said. "Thanks to the new battalion-based ambulance system we are putting in place across the City, FDNY-EMS is better organized and better equipped to get to emergencies faster. The more FDNY-EMS stations we put into our communities, closer to the people in need, the faster ambulance crews can respond to medical emergencies. This is why we are committed to opening several more of these stations around the City, some in hospitals, others in inactive firehouses."
"EMS, which has been a part of the Fire Department since 1996, has honed its response strategies with at least a half a dozen new reforms and strategies," the Mayor continued. "For example, advanced response units, which bring advanced life support and FDNY-EMS supervisors to the scene of an emergency, are now in use throughout the City. In addition, we have trained thousands of firefighters in cardio-pulminary resuscitation so that they can respond quickly to victims of heart attack, saving many lives."
"This is a sensible use of resources and what has happened at the Fire Department sets a wonderful example of how we can innovate and reinvent City government. I think it is clear that we are moving in the right direction, toward a faster and more efficient Fire Department. I wish to thank Commissioner Von Essen and all of the men and women of the world's greatest Fire Department," the Mayor concluded.
Queens Borough President Claire Shulman said, "This community-based EMS station is the harbinger of a new era in the way strategically-placed ambulances will respond to people in need of emergency medical assistance. Hopefully, it will reduce response time and provide an extra measure of security for the residents of this diverse community. I want to thank Mayor Giuliani and Commissioner Von Essen for their commitment to our communities and look forward to cutting more ribbons for additional stations in Queens."
Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen said, "The concept of Battalion or community-based stations will help to ensure that ambulances stay within the communities that they serve for the duration of their scheduled shifts. The stations will allow EMS to maintain a permanent presence in the community, just like their fire fighting colleagues do."
Pete Velez, Executive Director of Elmhurst Hospital Center said, "The FDNY-EMS provides extraordinary services to the residents of the City of New York. The relationship between Elmhurst Hospital Center and FDNY-EMS is productive and vital to the quality of health care in the borough of Queens. We look forward to a growth in this partnership that will benefit the entire community,"
The Fire Department is currently preparing to open several more community-based EMS stations, including new stations in Flushing and Bayside in Queens, in Lower Manhattan, in the Wakefield section of the Bronx and other locations.
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