These deaths are not inevitable': City Council questions Mamdani admin's cold-weather response after 18 people die | amNewYork

"When emergency responders answered Code Blue calls in New York City during the recent cold snap, roughly one in five cases were closed with a determination of no assistance needed, according to testimony at a City Council oversight hearing Tuesday. At least one of those cases involved a man who was reported sleeping outside during a freezing night but was not located at the time of the response and later died,"

"These deaths are not inevitable, Speaker Julie Menin said of New Yorkers who died. They are the result of gaps in outreach, shelter capacity, mental health services, and follow-up. City officials testified on Feb. 10 that roughly 22% of Code Blue calls to emergency responders were closed without assistance over the period. In some cases, responders could not find the person reported by callers. In others, individuals declined help or were deemed not to need it"

"Since Jan. 19, the NYPD has responded to 2,679 Code Blue calls as of midday on Feb. 8, in 22% his officers determined that EMS response was unnecessary because the individual either was not at the location or was not in need of assistance, that information is related to EMS, which then removes the Code Blue call from its queue and enables EMS direct ambulances where they are in fact necessary, said Alex Crohn, deputy commissioner of strategic initiatives at the NYPD."

During the cold snap, roughly one in five Code Blue responses were closed with a determination that no assistance was needed. Eighteen people died outdoors during a prolonged extreme cold period beginning Jan. 19. At least one person reported sleeping outside was not located by responders and later died. City data show about 22% of Code Blue calls were closed without assistance because responders could not find the person, individuals declined help, or responders deemed aid unnecessary. Since Jan. 19, NYPD responded to 2,679 Code Blue calls as of Feb. 8. Officers sometimes remove calls from the EMS queue to redirect ambulances.

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