Boston City Council Reviews $82.2 Million EMS Budget, Flags Staffing and Infrastructure Gaps

BOSTON — May 14, 2024 — Boston City Council reviews $82.2 million EMS budget amid record call volumes and staffing push. At a May 14 budget hearing chaired by Councilor Brian Worrell, Boston EMS Chief James Hooley told councilors the department responded to more than 138,000 clinical incidents in 2023 and is seeking funding for 12 additional EMTs to bring uniformed staffing from 428 to 440. The proposed budget offsets roughly 50 percent of costs through patient transport revenue, with wage increases driving most of the growth. Hooley reported a 244 percent surge in new uniformed hires this fiscal year compared with FY23 and a 54 percent drop in resignations, crediting a revived cadet program and union cooperation. BPHC Commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojukutu testified that the city's two adult emergency shelters served more than 4,000 people in 2023 and that 249 individuals were moved into permanent housing from shelters in FY24, while an ongoing DEP appeal continues to block progress on the Long Island treatment campus. Phoenix staff member Sydney Durand, whose organization received $400,000 in ARPA funding in 2023, urged continued city investment in holistic recovery programming, citing member outcomes including a 95 percent reduction in family violence among long-term participants.