Departments expand EMS capacity
Some fire departments are adjusting staffing and equipment to handle rising medical calls: Amsterdam, New York reached a deal that includes raises and permits hiring temporary non‑firefighter paramedics to ease burnout, while Chicopee, Massachusetts certified reserve rigs to carry expanded EMS gear for critical conditions. Those moves were presented as ways to reduce response strain and broaden on‑truck medical capability (dailygazette.com) (ems1.com).
Fire departments in upstate New York and western Massachusetts are adding medical capacity in two different ways: staffing in Amsterdam and equipment in Chicopee. (dailygazette.com) (ems1.com) In Amsterdam, the city approved a memorandum of agreement with Amsterdam Professional Firefighters Local 2825 at the April 7, 2026 Common Council meeting. The Daily Gazette reported the deal includes multi-year raises and allows the city to hire temporary, non-firefighter paramedics and emergency medical technicians. (amsterdamny.gov) (dailygazette.com) Amsterdam’s fire department says it has 33 members, two ambulances and citywide fire and transport duties for more than 18,000 residents across 6.26 square miles. The Daily Gazette said Mayor Michael Cinquanti pitched the staffing change as a way to reach full staffing and reduce burnout from emergency medical service calls. (amsterdamny.gov) (dailygazette.com) Chicopee took the equipment route. EMS1 reported on April 13, 2026 that the Chicopee Fire Department certified its fire apparatus and reserve rigs to carry expanded emergency medical service gear for respiratory distress, allergic reactions, diabetic emergencies and other critical injuries. (ems1.com) That change means more trucks can bring treatment tools to a scene instead of waiting for a dedicated ambulance to arrive with them. Chicopee’s fire department says emergency medical services are already part of its mission, and Massachusetts statewide treatment protocols cover the same medical problems listed in the equipment upgrade. (chicopeema.gov) (mass.gov) Neither department is abandoning firefighting; both are adjusting around the fact that fire departments now spend large parts of their day on medical calls. Amsterdam’s own department lists emergency medical services and transport among its core services, alongside fire suppression, rescue and hazardous materials response. (amsterdamny.gov) (chicopeema.gov) Amsterdam has been wrestling with this balance for years. In a 2021 interview, Cinquanti said the city was studying staffing gaps and had logged roughly 60 incidents in the prior three years when backup ambulance help was needed because city crews were tied up. (cbs6albany.com) The Amsterdam deal and Chicopee upgrade point to the same operational problem: when medical calls pile up, departments either need more people who can answer them or more vehicles that can start treatment faster. This month, one city bought time with temporary clinicians, and the other put more medical capability on its trucks. (dailygazette.com) (ems1.com)
