AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — A national EMT shortage has local ambulance’s looking to fill staff. According to the American Ambulance Association, there’s a 20-30% turnover of paramedics every year. That means that for response teams like Twin City Ambulance in Amherst, they’re having trouble responding to calls quickly and as often.
Due to the shorter staffing, Twin City Ambulance told 7 News their dispatch workers are always on-the-go. This is causing them to work extra hours/shifts and work a lot of overtime.
In response to this, they’re hosting a class to train people for the New York State EMT exam, so that they can bring more workers on board.
This training begins in August at their headquarters in Amherst. As for the perks of the job, the benefits package includes a starting salary of $45,000 annually, as well as 401k benefits.
According to Salary.com, this is over $8,000 higher than the $37,950 median salary of an EMT.
