Boston Council Hears EMS Falling Behind as City Grows Toward 800,000

BOSTON — September 6, 2023 — Boston City Council hears testimony that EMS, fire, and 911 services are failing to keep pace with the city's growth toward 800,000 residents. The Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice, led by Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata and Councilor at Large Erin J. Murphy, convened the September 6 hearing under Docket 1043, drawing Boston EMS Chief Jim Hooley, Fire Commissioner Paul Burke, and BPDA Deputy Chief Devin Quirk. Hooley reported 134,000 EMS incidents in 2022 — a 6 percent single-year increase — while operating only 21 basic life support and five advanced life support ambulances citywide; BPPA EMS paramedic Nicholas Mutter called for doubling that to 42 BLS and 10 ALS units. SEIU Local 888 political director Anthony Landry disclosed that Boston's 911 operations division has only 31 of 40 dispatcher positions filled and cited a mission-critical audit documenting 35,000 missed calls, warning "if we stay on the current trajectory, the 35,000 missed calls will be a baseline that will only increase." Boston Police leadership was invited but did not attend, drawing criticism from Council President Edward M. Flynn and public commenters alike.