NEW YORK — On Oct. 22, Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that unions said would have established minimum staffing standards for EMS crews responding to patients and for supervisor vehicles in cities with populations over one million.

The measure, Emergency Response Staffing Bill ( S. 6698 / A. 7356 ), passed unanimously by the Assembly and Senate, was introduced in memory of FDNY Captain Allison Russo, who was fatally stabbed while on a break in 2022.

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Russo was working alone when she was killed, which is what inspired the bill’s introduction by lawmakers.

Hochul said she vetoed the bill due to financial concerns, noting that meeting the proposed standards would require New York City to hire about 290 additional EMTs at an ann

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