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Boston EMS highlights falling priority-1 response times; unions press city for higher pay and more ambulances
Summary
At the Ways and Means hearing, Boston EMS chief Jim Hooley reported a drop in median priority-1 response time from 7.5 to 6.8 minutes and described fleet and radio upgrades, while union leaders told the council EMT pay and staffing remain inadequate and urged investment.
Chief Jim ("Jimmy") Hooley told the Ways and Means Committee on May 21 that Boston EMS handled more than 141,000 clinical incidents and 95,503 patient transports in calendar year 2025. He said the department expanded alternative-response units and began a 24-hour ambulance in Dorchester this fiscal year; the chief also said median priority-1 response times improved from 7.5 minutes to 6.8 minutes year-to-date (Jan'May 2026), a reduction he attributed to deployment changes and staffing gains.
Hooley described ongoing capital work affecting EMS operations: a multi-year radio-infrastructure upgrade with Boston Police and Boston Fire, a CMED (central emergency medical direction) upgrade scheduled to go live next month, and ambulance procurements that will add roughly 26 vehicles in the coming 12 months. He also announced a new two-bay EMS station on the South Boston Waterfront expected to open this summer.
Union leaders and frontline workers used public testimony to press the council for greater pay, staffing and equipment. Jason Yackens, president of the BPPA EMS division, told the committee: "A 5 year EMT at Boston EMS is paid nearly 60% less than a firefighter." The union urged investments in ambulances, stations, personal protective equipment and retention measures. Multiple other EMTs and paramedics described an aging fleet, exposure risks from diesel exhaust in older vehicles, and the emotional toll of repeated traumatic calls.
Workers also flagged a recent field shortage of equipment. Paramedic George Medaford said crews responding to a waterside call lacked a personal flotation device and asked the department to ensure life jackets are stocked on ambulances when crews may operate near water; Chief Hooley said personal flotation devices funded through a grant were being distributed to units that day and the department is formalizing policies for their use.
Councilors questioned Hooley and commissioners about compensation, recruitment and neighborhood-level service. Hooley said the department prioritizes personnel ("more than 89% of our budget dollars goes directly to members' wages and fringe benefits") and that wages and hours are established through collective bargaining; he asked elected officials to support funding and policy choices that enable negotiated wage improvements and staffing expansions. He identified recruitment and training initiatives that have produced recent gains'promotions to paramedic and scholarship programs for EMT training'and said the department plans continued academy classes to fill open seats.
Why it matters: councilors and union leaders framed EMS compensation and staffing as a public-safety issue that affects response capacity and retention. The hearing recorded both operational gains (improved median P1 response time, capital upgrades, planned ambulance deliveries) and persistent workforce concerns (pay disparity claims and vacancy questions) that the committee asked BPHC and EMS to reconcile with follow-up data.
The chief and commissioners promised to provide additional breakdowns requested by the council, including vacancy lists by position, recruit-class demographics and the promotion roster.
