EMS union president talks pandemic, parade boycott

In March and April of 2020, New York City Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers responded to the most medical emergencies daily in the city’s history. At the height of the pandemic, call volume increased by thousands. New York City honors them for their part in helping New Yorkers through the crisis during the Hometown Heroes ticker-tape parade. Vincent Variale, president of the uniformed EMS officers Union Local 3621, spoke with PIX11 News about what it was like for workers throughout the pandemic, the lives lost over the last year and his thoughts on some EMS workers who decided not to participate in the ticker-tape parade.