Exploring an Independent Perspective on Emergency Response Times
Open Data Week NYC – March 24 2026
VIDEO | AUDIO | RECAP EN / ES / FR | INFO | INDEX
Speakers: Valerie Gudino - Public Safety Analyst, NYC Independent Budget Office (IBO); Ed Dolan - NYC Independent Budget Office (IBO)
Moderator: Valerie Gudino - NYC Independent Budget Office (IBO)
Introduction to the Independent Budget Office and the EMS Response Time Analysis
Valerie Gudino opened the session by introducing the New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO), describing it as a nonpartisan city agency that provides independent fiscal and policy analysis to the public, City Council, and other stakeholders. Under the New York City Charter, IBO’s mission is to improve public understanding of the city budget, taxes, fiscal policies, and major policy issues affecting New Yorkers.
Gudino explained that the presentation focused on IBO’s updated analysis of emergency medical response times across New York City from fiscal years 2014 through 2024. The analysis expanded on prior IBO work from 2022 and was conducted in response to growing public concern and requests for updated data.
The new report examined:
Citywide ambulance response times
Differences between boroughs
Advanced Life Support (ALS) calls
Basic Life Support (BLS) calls
Call volume growth
EMS staffing levels
Gudino stressed that emergency response times are not merely performance metrics but often represent “the difference between life and death in a medical emergency.”
Understanding the NYC Emergency Response System
Gudino walked attendees through the highly complex emergency dispatch process that occurs when someone dials 911 in New York City.
Calls are first answered by a Police Department Communications Technician (PCT), who handles both police and medical emergencies.
For medical emergencies:
Calls are transferred to FDNY Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMDs)
Dispatchers triage the emergency
Call severity is assigned numerically
Lower-numbered calls indicate more severe emergencies
Dispatch priority is determined by call severity
Gudino explained that EMDs may remain on the line to provide pre-arrival instructions such as CPR coaching while dispatch resources are simultaneously mobilized.
One major conclusion of the report was that the sheer complexity of the dispatch process itself likely contributes to worsening response times.
Datasets Used in the Analysis
Gudino described the multiple datasets used to conduct the analysis.
The primary dataset came from FDNY Open Data and included records for all medical emergencies handled through the city’s 911 system.
The dataset covered incidents involving:
FDNY ambulances
Non-FDNY ambulances
For-profit ambulances
Nonprofit ambulances
Each record represented an emergency response “run,” beginning when a call was received and ending when the incident was closed.
The second dataset used was the Mayor’s Management Report (MMR), which provides city agency performance metrics and is mandated by the NYC Charter.
IBO also used the city’s internal Personnel Resource Management System (CHRMS) to analyze EMT and paramedic staffing levels. Gudino noted that this staffing dataset is not public, but IBO can access such internal data under its Charter authority.
Three Different Methods for Measuring Response Times
A major focus of the presentation involved explaining how emergency response times are measured differently depending on methodology.
Gudino identified three primary methods used in the Mayor’s Management Report:
FDNY dispatch plus travel time only
FDNY dispatch plus travel time only including ambulances and fire companies
End-to-end response time from initial 911 call until first unit arrival
IBO emphasized that only the second method is officially designated as a “critical indicator” in the MMR, despite the third method being far more comprehensive.
The Importance of “End-to-End” Response Time
Gudino strongly argued that end-to-end response time best reflects the real experience of callers because it includes:
Initial 911 processing
Police communications handling
EMD triage
Dispatch delays
Ambulance travel time
By contrast, FDNY’s preferred reporting method excludes substantial portions of the dispatch process.
IBO found that:
Average end-to-end response time was approximately 2 minutes and 32 seconds longer than FDNY’s preferred dispatch-plus-travel measurement
Gudino argued that excluding police and EMD processing time understates the actual experience faced by emergency callers.
Methodology and Use of Open Data in R
Gudino then reviewed the technical workflow used in the analysis.
The team imported fiscal year 2014–2024 emergency response datasets into R for processing and analysis.
Because the raw FDNY open dataset did not explicitly identify ALS versus BLS calls, IBO obtained classification guidance directly from FDNY and created internal flags for:
ALS calls
BLS calls
using R functions including:
mutate()
case_when()
group_by()
summarize()
Gudino explained that the analysis focused not only on averages but also on the percentage of calls meeting specified response thresholds.
IBO specifically measured:
Percent of calls responded to within 10 minutes
Percent of calls responded to within 20 minutes
These thresholds were based partly on standards historically used by organizations such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Major Findings – ALS Response Times
Gudino presented findings for Advanced Life Support (ALS) calls, which represent the most serious medical emergencies.
The percentage of ALS calls responded to within 10 minutes declined across every borough between 2014 and 2024.
The steepest deterioration occurred in Manhattan:
ALS calls under 10 minutes declined by 12 percentage points
compared with Staten Island:
Decline of approximately 6 percentage points
By 2024:
Staten Island had the best ALS performance at approximately 82% under 10 minutes
The Bronx had the worst at approximately 75%
Major Findings – BLS Response Times
Basic Life Support (BLS) calls showed even larger disparities across boroughs.
Gudino reported that:
Every borough experienced worsening BLS response times
Queens experienced the steepest decline
From 2014 to 2024:
Queens BLS under-10-minute responses declined by approximately 16 percentage points
Staten Island declined by approximately 10 percentage points
In 2024:
Staten Island again performed best at approximately 68% under 10 minutes
The Bronx performed worst at approximately 48%
Gudino emphasized that the Bronx consistently showed the slowest response outcomes across multiple categories.
Citywide Trends in Average Response Times
The report found substantial increases in average citywide response times over the decade.
For the most serious calls:
Average end-to-end response time reached nearly 11 minutes in 2024
Gudino compared this to the lowest average response time observed during the study period:
8 minutes and 56 seconds in 2017
Average dispatch-plus-travel response times also increased substantially, reaching:
8 minutes and 16 seconds in 2024
IBO concluded that both:
Dispatch processing
Ambulance travel time
have worsened over the past decade.
Staffing Growth vs. Call Volume Growth
Gudino explained that FDNY has consistently attributed worsening response times to a mismatch between:
Rising call volume
Slower growth in staffing levels
IBO’s staffing analysis supported this explanation.
Over the study period:
EMT and paramedic staffing levels increased
But not nearly as quickly as emergency call volume
Gudino suggested that staffing growth has failed to keep pace with system demand.
Importance of Geography and Borough Variation
A recurring theme throughout the session was the importance of geographic variation.
IBO deliberately analyzed response times borough-by-borough to better identify localized patterns and disparities.
The analysis revealed major differences in response performance depending on:
Borough
Call severity
Call type
Gudino suggested that more geographically detailed analysis may help policymakers target future investments more effectively.
Audience Questions – Causes Beyond Staffing
Audience members asked whether IBO had examined additional factors beyond staffing shortages that might contribute to worsening response times.
Examples raised included:
Geographic barriers
Traffic congestion
Distance from dispatch locations
Uneven spatial distribution of calls
Gudino responded that these questions represent important future research directions and confirmed that IBO plans to continue examining additional explanatory factors.
Future Research Directions
Ed Dolan explained that IBO intends to continue researching EMS response time problems and may integrate additional datasets in future studies.
Potential future work may include:
Additional geographic analysis
Integration of external transportation datasets
More detailed operational studies
Examination of dispatch workflows
Dolan emphasized that the office welcomes outside suggestions and research ideas from the public and policy community.
Questions About Ambulance Providers
Audience members also asked whether the data distinguished between:
FDNY ambulances
Private ambulances
Nonprofit ambulances
Hospital-based services
Gudino clarified that the dataset includes both FDNY and non-FDNY ambulances but does not break results down by specific hospital or provider type.
Discussion on Where Delays Occur
Participants asked whether delays were occurring primarily:
Between the initial call and dispatch
Or between dispatch and ambulance arrival
Gudino explained that both stages showed worsening performance over time.
IBO therefore concluded that response deterioration reflects problems across multiple parts of the emergency response system rather than a single isolated bottleneck.
Closing Remarks
Gudino concluded by emphasizing that IBO’s analysis is intended to serve as a starting point for deeper policy discussions and future reform efforts.
She argued that improving emergency response times will require:
Better understanding of operational bottlenecks
Additional staffing analysis
Geographic targeting
Coordination among city agencies and elected officials
The report’s ultimate goal, she stated, is to help policymakers identify ways to reduce response times “everywhere” across New York City.
RESOURCES
Exploring an Independent Perspective on Emergency Response Times — the NYC Open Data Week 2026 session presented by Valerie Gudino and Ed Dolan
IBO EMS Response Time Analysis (March 2026 press release) — the IBO report this presentation is based on
NYC Independent Budget Office — Public Safety publications — IBO’s public safety reports and data visualizations
NYC Independent Budget Office — Staff Biographies — backgrounds for presenters Valerie Gudino and Ed Dolan
EMS Incident Dispatch Data (NYC Open Data) — the open dataset analyzed for ALS and BLS response times
Mayor’s Management Report (MMR) — City Charter-mandated performance report used as a second data source
Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) — the agency that coordinates 911 ambulance response citywide
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) — source of the under-target response time benchmark used in the analysis
The R Project for Statistical Computing — the software used for the analysis (mutate, case_when, group_by, summarize)
IBO’s 2022 paramedic response time report — the earlier IBO analysis referenced as background