New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is considering merging the New Orleans Fire Department and emergency medical services into a single department, according to a report in The Lens.
A spokesperson for New Orleans EMS said he was shocked to learn from the outlet the mayor was considering a merger.
The city’s firefighters’ union, the New Orleans Fire Fighters Association, is behind the merger push. The merger was brought up during public comment last week by Aaron Mischler, president of the New Orleans Fire Fighters Association.
“I believe it’s time we really take a hard look at trying to integrate EMS and the Fire Department together,” he said. “I believe utilizing the manpower from the fire department and combining the two departments would lower the budget for both departments and remove redundancies.”
EMS spokesman Jonathon Fourcade said New Orleans residents are well served by having a separate EMS service.
“New Orleans is unique to have EMS as a true third service,” Fourcade said. “And we’re a great group of EMTs and paramedics that are highly trained. Some of the best medics in the country. New Orleans has a lot of sick people and a lot of violence, so we see a lot of trauma.”