Syracuse council reviews $11,000 agreement with CNY EMS to recertify firefighters
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Summary
Councilors reviewed a one-year agreement with CNY EMS to provide New York State–aligned recertification training for sworn firefighters; city staff said the $11,000 program will cover the department’s EMTs and paramedics and is required to maintain state certifications.
Syracuse City Council heard a proposal to enter an agreement with CNY EMS to provide firefighter EMS recertification required by the New York State Department of Health.
At the meeting a department chief explained the program will run through the EMS1 academy and cost about $11,000 for the year. The chief said the training is required for sworn firefighters to maintain the state certifications needed to treat medical calls — including breathing emergencies and other non-fire medical responses — and that the program will cover the department’s EMTs and paramedics. The chief described the department as roughly 380 firefighters with staggered certification cycles.
Councilors asked how this item relates to prior remarks about American Medical Response (AMR) funding for training. The chief said prior comments referred to AMR supporting civilian EMT recruitment and that the CNY EMS contract is specifically to recertify current sworn personnel. The chief emphasized that without a recertification mechanism the department could not maintain its state-required certifications.
The presentation noted the annual cadence of recertification means training is staggered across years and that this contract provides the mechanism to keep personnel current. No formal vote on the contract is recorded in the transcript.
