71 New EMTs, 80 Paras
153 Advance in EMS Ranks

By ARI PAUL

The Fire Department inducted 80 new Paramedics, 71 Emergency Medical Technicians and two Deputy Chief into the Emergency Medical Service during a ceremony Dec. 10.

FDNY Photo Unit STEPPING UP: The Fire Department welcomed 71 Emergency Medical Technicians, 80 Paramedics and two Deputy Chiefs into the Emergency Medical Service during a ceremony Dec. 10. Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano, left, told the graduates and promotees, 'We are confident in your ability and we know you will make us proud.'

The department billed the EMS ceremony, which took place at New York Technical College's Klitgord Auditorium in Brooklyn, as the largest graduation of Paramedics in the city's history.

'Bigger and Better'

"With this graduation we grow bigger, better and stronger," Chief of EMS John Peruggia said during the ceremony.

EMS Capts. Roger Ahee and Katharine Fuchs were promoted to Deputy Chief.

Most of the new Paramedics were former EMTs, but there were also two Captains and five Lieutenants who recently finished nine months of Paramedic training, the department said. Three of the new EMTs are military veterans. One of them, Wallace Andrade, served in Iraq with the Army Reserve.

Patrick J. Bahnken, who as president of EMS Local 2507 of District Council 37 represents Paramedics and EMTs, applauded the department's recruitment efforts but thought the size of the group of promotees and graduates was uninspiring.

"All it does is keep us current with the current rates of attrition," he said in a phone interview. "That's just going to keep our head above water."

He believed the root of the attrition was what he called low pay, leading Paramedics and EMTs to become Firefighters or leave the department for higher-paying jobs. The starting annual salary for an EMT is $27,295. After five years, an EMT earns $41,162 per year. By contrast, the starting base salary for Firefighters is $35,000, and after five years a Firefighter can earn $65,841 per year plus night differential pay and longevity pay.

The new Paramedics are Juliette Arroyo, Matthew Barbella, Daniel Bellingham, Telina Brock, Tyisha Burwell, Steven Caggiano, George Doremus, Jason Durecout, Joseph Farrell, Katherine Frawley, Eric Gruarin, Christopher Lipkin, Alexander Lipsitt, Joseph Lomino, Lisa Lopez, Sean Mahoney, Scott Marucheau, Tyrone McLune, Vanessa Ocasio-Suarez, Arelis Olivo, Oleg Patrikeyev, Betzalel Rabinowitz, Shlomo Raymon, Justino Sanchez, Donnamarie Sansevero, Erika Serrano, Edmond Signer, Daniel Simon, Matthew Speier, Danny Suarez, Vanessa Tenorio, Norberto Torres, Michael Travers, Felicia Tsang, and Yong Zheng.

The other graduating Paramedics were Juan Aguierre, Leisha Bell-Fonrose, Alexis Borkowski, Robert Carlo, Jason Cheung, Arina Clark, Lizette Claro, Roberto Colon, Andria Connell, Sulai Delacruz, Elan Freudenthal, Matthew Giacalone, Joseph Gorgia, Lisa Horowitz, Vincent Joyce, Michael King, Steven Kleinberg, Juan Lebron, Maureen Little, Craig Martin, David McComb, William Melaragno, William Meringolo, William Miller, Salvatore Mortillaro, Carlos Muller, Kevin Nickla, Gerson Olivo, Patrick O'Neil, Goretti Pasquier, Craig Peterson, Milan Radonavich, Pierre Ramos, Daniel Riccobono, Craig Roeder, Daniel Rohde, Dean Russell, Linda Scott, Kelvin Smith, Magdalena Sobocinski, Jason Spandorf, Jason Verspoor, Paul Vnuczenski and Timothy Wayne.

The new EMTs are Miguel Acevedo, Pedro Acosta, Zeeshan Ali, Daniel Almandoz, Soraya Alvarez, Wallace Andrade, Michael Baer, Isaiah Baker, Jason Bartells, Joshua Benjamin-Bernstein, Keston Bertrand, Joseph Bevilacqua, Yezgeniy Borozin, Antonette Bovell-Jonas, Andre Bristol, Bruce Brown, Tracey Calhoun, Robert Camaj, Michael Castellano, George Chandler, Ruth Chavez, Timothy Chiarel, Darrell Collier, Jason Cruz, Robert A Demeo, Ramon Diaz, Ariel Duran, Carlos Fernandez, Jason Gonzalez, Gabriel Gonzalez, John Gorday, Marcio A. Gradno de Oro, Ryan Gref, Reinaldo Guzman, James Hayter, Davon Howard, Timothy Janis, Andrey Kirichenko, Terence Lau, Natasha Lawson, David Lee, Justyna Maksimiuk, Thameshwar Mangra and Christopher Mazziotti.

Also graduating to EMT were Michael McConville, Barbara McKenzie, David McMinnm Elvin Mera, Louis Montalvo, John Ortiz, Diana Partyka, Anthony Paulino, Jose Perez, Ilya Petevka, John Petrozziello, James Rivera, Giannella Robalino, Christina Rodriguez, Alex Rosenstrach, Tony Sannuto, Ramon Santiago, Nicholas Santy, Joshua Seidman, Suchingh Singh, Christopher Taylor, Fausto Torres, Vitaly Usherenko, William Warr, Morgan Wilding, Zheng Zhang and Courtney Zinn.