Fire Official Reveals EMS Ambulances Lack Cell Phones; Queens Pols Call Oversight ‘Matter of Life and Death’

If a critically ill New York City resident is rushed to the hospital in an EMS (Emergency Medical Service) ambulance its crew, unlike those on the television show, "ER," are unable to call ahead to alert emergency room staff to prepare for the patient’s arrival.
That’s because city ambulances lack cell phones — the popular portable devices that thousands of New Yorkers use regularly for routine purposes.
The stunning admission came on Sept. 2 at a blue ribbon panel of 22 legislators, officials of the American Heart Association, Queens physicians and legislators. They were summoned to borough hall by Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn and Borough President Claire Shulman to quiz Fire Dept. and EMS officials about reports in The Queens Courier that stroke patients do not receive the priority attention they require.
At the meeting, First Deputy Fire Commissioner William Feeham revealed to the group that because of budgetary constraints EMS ambulances are not equipped with cell phones to reach hospital emergency rooms. That means emergency medical technicians are unable to report on the conditions of patients who are critically ill or badly hurt in an accident.
The use of cell phones in ambulances around the country is reportedly commonplace.
After listening to the concerns of legislators, Feeham agreed to look into the installation of cell phones in EMS ambulances. According to the Fire Dept. official ambulances are fitted with radios which only link them to their dispatchers.
One meeting participant, Congressman Joseph Crowley said he "finds it incredible in this age of technology that we do not have items as commonplace and important as portable telephones in our ambulances. He called the phones a "lifeline" and can mean the difference between life, permanent brain damage, or even death."
Shulman, who conducted the meeting with Mayersohn, told the doctors in attendance to form a "focus" group to find solutions to the other Queens Courier disclosure, namely, that stroke is assigned a low priority by EMS ambulance dispatchers. The group, including EMS medical chief Dr. Lorraine Giordano, is expected to meet within the next week, according to Assemblywoman Mayersohn.
The borough hall meeting grew out of a continuing series of articles in The Queens Courier urging action by EMS to upgrade ambulance priorities in the City for stroke patients. According to EMS protocols, stroke is listed in the fourth of eight priority groupings in its triaging system.
Dr. Robert Galton of Queens, a former official of the United States Public Health Service, said he was concerned as to whether all Queens hospitals had the sophisticated medical expertise necessary to give the medical tests required for stroke patients.
"I’m also concerned about ‘outcome studies’ that tell physicians how their stroke patients fare under the present system," Galton said.
Galton and other physicians including Dr. Emilio Oribe, chief of neurology at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, urged EMS officials to upgrade stroke cases because of the " three hour window of opportunity" existing for stroke patients.
Galton explained that improved response times would give emergency room doctors the time necessary to properly examine patients, order CAT scans, and determine if they would be helped by the new "clot buster" drugs such as TPA that can save lives and limit disabilities.
"I am concerned that qualified personnel are on duty at Queens hospitals over a 24-hour period to deal with stroke patients," he said.
Assemblywoman Mayersohn said she intended to determine the preparedness of Queens hospitals who receive stroke patients.
The meeting last week included several officials of the Fire Dept., operators of EMS, EMS executives, legislators including Crowley, representatives of State Senator Daniel Hevesi, Melinda Katz and Alice Austin of the American Heart Association.
Mayersohn, who first brought The Courier series to Shulman’s attention and invited meeting participants, said she was encouraged and looked forward to quick action from EMS.