When CityScore launched January 15th, EMS median priority 1 response times for the previous month averaged 5 minutes 59 seconds, which grew to 6 minutes 11 seconds by April 2015, causing its CityScore to drop below 1. Concerned by increasing response times, Mayor Walsh reached out to the Chief of EMS to get more information on what was going on and what the City could do to reverse the trend.



We found that increases in visitors and the City's resident population over the past several years led to a rise in emergency medical 911 calls, yet EMS’ budget had not grown to allow them to hire more EMTs and replace aging ambulances. Hearing this, the Mayor prioritized funding in the next City budget for EMS to train a new class of 20 EMTs and buy 10 replacement ambulances. The added personnel will allow for two additional ambulances to serve Boston's neighborhoods. We hope these new resources will help EMS shorten response times for the most serious emergencies and provide world-class emergency medical services to the residents of Boston.