Few topics generate stronger reactions from EMS professionals than how major cities structure their systems — and New York City’s ongoing debate over whether EMS should separate from FDNY hit a nerve.

| HOT TOPIC: Should NYC split EMS from FDNY? Pay, staffing and patient care are on the line

You’ve shared direct, candid reactions rooted in your own experience: pay gaps that undermine recruitment, system designs that limit clinical growth and long-standing frustrations over how EMS is valued compared with fire services.

Many of you echoed themes you see in your own departments, while others pointed out the operational realities a split would create.

Your comments shed light on a larger issue: how EMS identity, recognition and resourcing shape daily work and long-term careers.

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