EMS crews from N.J. converge to help NYC

Emergency medical crews from New Jersey, including Burlington and Camden Counties, continued to arrive in New York on Tuesday to help with the large backlog of 911 calls that developed during Sunday's blizzard.

As two feet of snow fell in New York, many vehicles became stuck, blocking streets and hampering emergency efforts.

With help from outside agencies, the backlog of calls for medical assistance, which grew to 1,300 on Monday, was less than 200 by Tuesday afternoon, a Fire Department spokesman said.

Fire departments across New York and New Jersey sent ambulances to the city. As of Tuesday morning, 35 had arrived and more were expected, according to the New York Fire Department.

Representatives and equipment arrived from the Voorhees Fire Department, Cherry Hill Fire Department, Gloucester Township EMS, Magnolia EMS, and Mount Laurel EMS, according to the Camden County website.

New York's response to the storm has drawn fierce criticism from residents, who said sanitation crews were too slow to clear snow from the streets, many of which were impassable days after the storm's end.

New York City Council speaker Christine Quinn on Tuesday called for hearings into the city's response.

"The collective storm response was not anywhere near up to the standards New Yorkers are accustomed to," she said in a statement.

The Garden State began to send ambulance crews Monday night after receiving a request for assistance that afternoon, said Christopher Rinn, New Jersey assistant commissioner of health and senior services.

"Our first and foremost concern in New Jersey was to make sure we weren't taking coverage away from the local municipalities," he said. "We were in a state of emergency ourselves, but we had some ambulances in reserve."

Reports from New Jersey EMS workers on Tuesday indicated that while many streets remained impassable, crews were working around problem areas, Rinn said.

"If there's a call on a side street, they're parking and then walking down," he said. "They do have members of New York EMS riding with them who know the neighborhoods."