NYC will now provide body armor, self defense training to FDNY EMS [Video]

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City will now provide FDNY emergency medical services (EMS) personnel with body armor and self-defense training every three years after Mayor Eric Adams signed two pieces of legislation Wednesday.

Both sponsored by City Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore), the pieces of legislation require the FDNY to provide body armor, along with self-defense and de-escalation training every three years to all members working in the EMS bureau.

“Every day, the brave men and women of the FDNY emergency medical services put themselves in harm’s way to save New Yorkers’ lives. They are often the first to arrive on the scene, and the most vulnerable,” Borelli, who is the Republican leader in the Council, said. “The least we can do is help protect them so they, too, can get home safe to their families.”

During a February hearing on the legislation, Oren Barzilay, president of EMS …