Beachfront EMS operations present unique challenges. Providers must adapt quickly, remain aware of their surroundings, and make split-second decisions to deliver appropriate care. FDNY EMS serves as the primary emergency medical service provider for New York City, including its beaches in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.
During the summer, the FDNY deploys EMS beach units to provide medical care to visitors and residents. Operating with two EMTs on a utility vehicle (UTV), these units respond to emergency calls on the beach and much more.
The department equips beach units with mission-specific equipment such as personal flotation devices, rescue buoys, and Mustang Rescue throw sticks. Beach units have the same medical equipment as a basic life support ambulance.
The allotted equipment ensures that units can handle any medical emergency. Beach units carry additional commonly used medical supplies, enabling the units to restock medical bags while remaining in service. These units are also equipped with longboards, drag litters and full-sized ambulance stretchers to aid in the packaging and removal of patients.
Ensuring units are equipped with more than one carrying device allows the operators to move patients in difficult-to-access areas or where there are multiple patients. Routine maintenance and equipment checks are crucial due to exposure to salt air and sand, which can corrode equipment. Members staffing the beach units spend extended hours outdoors, requiring a supply of bug spray, suntan lotion, and water for hydration, and are one of the few EMS resources authorized to wear shorts.
Continuous size-up and situational awareness are key. Members staffing the beach units monitor the weather closely, focusing on temperature, humidity, precipitation – and potential for storms. Aside from the members’ safety, tracking the weather has operational implications.
Variations in crowd sizes and weather conditions can significantly impact the nature and frequency of emergencies. A sunny weekend might draw larger crowds, increasing the crowd density and the likelihood of incidents like heat-related illnesses or water-related accidents.
Conversely, inclement weather or strong currents might pose additional risks for beachgoers. By closely monitoring factors such as tides, surf conditions, and scheduled events, beachfront EMS responders can proactively anticipate potential emergencies.
Beach units’ effectiveness hinges on their intimate knowledge of their response areas. This familiarity extends beyond merely knowing the physical layout of the beach; it includes understanding the ebb and flow of beach activity throughout the day.
Identifying key access points, recognizing busy sections prone to incidents, and even discerning alternative routes for faster response times are critical. For example, during peak hours, knowing the quieter stretches of the beach can provide quicker access to emergencies without navigating through dense crowds.
This familiarity aids in seamless coordination with incoming ambulances, ensuring smooth patient transfers and minimizing delays in care delivery. Rockaway comprises over six miles of beachfront and its well-known rip tides and rough surf. Monitoring the tide aids members in recognizing the potential for patient injury. Outgoing tides cause strong rip currents, especially in areas around the jetties, causing inexperienced swimmers to be overpowered by the water and potentially drown.
The Rockaway beaches have several resources operating in close vicinity, requiring members to communicate over several frequencies. Beach units routinely interact with local police, state police, federal police, FDNY firefighters, NYC Park Department lifeguards and security.
Monitoring lifeguards, park security and other agencies help anticipate calls and prepare for emergencies. Monitoring different frequencies improves situational awareness. NYC Parks Security gives hourly updates on their frequency. The Parks Department updates provide information about the number of occupants on the sand, the number of swimmers, and anything park security deems noteworthy for each section of the beach. Beach units use these reports to formulate a rough idea of what the beach looks like in these different sections, how to respond to incidents in these locations, and analyze the potential for emergencies.
The ability for beach units to communicate directly with these agencies via radio improves interagency coordination during incidents. Beach units can inform lifeguards of their ETA and resources that are responding.
Lifeguards can relay information regarding a patient’s status and exact location to the incoming crew. Along with communicating via radio, beach units frequently meet face-to-face with park security and lifeguards, discussing the day’s events and any issues that have come up. These conversations improve cooperation between agencies, allowing them to work together seamlessly and ultimately enhance the safety of those who visit New York City beaches.
FDNY ambulances are equipped with computer-aided dispatch (CAD) terminals, capable of tracking resources on a map in near-real time. These terminals also provide units with information regarding the 911 caller and other information provided to dispatchers.
Beach units have a cellular phone with limited-function computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software. The addition of the cellular telephone with CAD allows the dispatcher to monitor the beach units’ approximate location. The cellular phone with CAD also ensures the beach units can monitor for cases where an ambulance is dispatched to an assignment that may require their response.
Utilization of this by the beach units allows them to self-dispatch to assignments ambulances receive located on or near the beach. It informs them which resources are in the area if they are needed. Beach units equipped with cellular phones provide a direct line to crews working, further enhancing communication.
Typical EMS assignments at the beach are first-aid cases dealing with minor injuries, and most result in treatment and refusal of transportation. The beach units can handle low acuity calls, freeing up ambulances to respond to additional assignments. Traumas, drownings and significant medical emergencies have the potential to impose challenges on providers. The beach unit typically serves as the first arriving medical resource, allowing the beach unit members to initiate care and coordinate the patient’s movement to a responding ambulance.
In addition to responding to medical emergencies, beachfront EMS is crucial in assisting with various non-medical incidents along the shoreline. One such scenario involves aiding in missing children’s cases, where beach units collaborate with local authorities to locate and reunite lost children with their families quickly. This aspect of their role underscores the broader community service aspect of beachfront EMS, where their presence extends beyond medical emergencies to ensure the safety and well-being of all beachgoers.
Beachfront EMS teams are often called upon to support lifeguards during water rescues. These situations require seamless coordination between EMS personnel and lifeguards to swiftly respond to emergencies in the water and provide immediate medical assistance upon rescue. This collaborative effort highlights the versatility and adaptability of beach units, which address a wide range of challenges and emergencies in their unique coastal environment.
Given their frequent interactions with the public, professionalism and effective communication are vital for beachfront EMS personnel. Whether administering patient care, providing information to beach visitors, or assisting in non-medical incidents, beach units represent their agency and the broader emergency response community.
Visitors and residents of New York City have a unique resource and lifeline between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Beach units provide an exceptional service, serving as ambassadors of New York City on the waterfront.
