I’ve been working since I was 14 years old as a boy in Bushwick, Brooklyn. I did odd jobs for my parents and neighbors, and eventually a stint delivering for UPS. My mother consistently encouraged me to work, and repeatedly told me to find a job that had a pension, and benefits — something that would lead me on a pathway to stability. So, when I was 22, I took every New York City civil service exam available.
The first one to call me was FDNY Emergency Medical Service (EMS), which at the time was NYC Health + Hospital’s NYC EMS.
I entered the academy, and quickly realized that emergency medicine was my calling. I remarked to my classmates that I would one day become the FDNY chief of EMS operations, with aspirations of being at the top of the department. So, when the Department of Correction, Sanitation, the NYPD, and eventually the FDNY called me to join their ranks, I declined all of those offers, and stuck with EMS.
It is a decision I have been proud of every day since. This is the only job I have considered a career.
Being an EMT is not easy. It is, indeed, a calling. There are tough days, long hours, and challenging responses. The men and women of the FDNY’s EMS are on the front lines, standing shoulder to shoulder with all the other first responders daily. You see heartbreak and you feel hopeless — and yet, it is your calling that pushes you through those hard times. It is your calling that keeps you coming back in service of our city, our communities, and our neighbors in their moments of crisis.
It is your calling that will motivate you to get promoted, like I did, and become a paramedic, a lieutenant, and eventually work my way through the ranks to make enough money to give up a side job and decline overtime occasionally. As an EMS officer, I was able to provide for my four children, sending them to private schools, and buying the home my parents so badly wanted for me as a young man.
And now, as the FDNY EMS chief of operations, I encourage you to do the same.
The FDNY is currently recruiting Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). We are hiring men and women who have their EMT certification, and we are also hiring people without their EMT certification who will receive paid training from the FDNY.
We are looking for dedicated and compassionate individuals who want to join the greatest EMS service in the world. We are seeking passionate and intelligent individuals who will be committed to delivering the highest standards of prehospital medical care. You will become someone who will be saving the lives of your fellow New Yorkers.
This job — one I have done for more than 30 years — will allow you one of the most dynamic and exciting careers in New York City. Joining the FDNY as an EMT is the start of an incredibly rewarding journey filled with opportunities for personal and professional growth, great benefits, superior training, and access to cutting edge resources.
It’s also a chance to be part of the greatest fire department in the world. You will become a part of the FDNY family. As an FDNY EMT, I promise you will come home from work every day knowing you made a difference in someone’s life, as well as a difference in your own.
Take it from me — because I was just like so many of you, starting out without really knowing what I wanted to do with my life. The Fire Department gave me those answers. My work as an EMT inspired me to want more for myself, and the promotional opportunities available made that easy.
If you are ready for a career that allows you to serve New York City with pride, if you can thrive in a fast paced and dynamic environment, if saving lives and making a difference is something that excites you, I invite you to take the first step and apply to become the “Best of the Best.” Become an FDNY EMT today.
Apply now and become a vital part of the FDNY’s family. It is a decision that will change your life. The filing period for both certified EMTs and trainees will close in three weeks, on Nov. 26. Go to our website at joinfdny.com/careers/ems.
Fields is the chief of EMS operations at the FDNY.
