first on the scene, last to leave Daniel Ribaudo

“This is an amazing hospital and I am so proud to lead the department of the most talented and passionate medical professionals in the world.”

by mickey kramer

Daniel Ribaudo was driving to his job as a paramedic for New York-Presbyterian Hospital on that warm late summer morning. Shortly after he was deployed to what later became known as Ground Zero that September 11th, he heard that two New York-Presbyterian Hospital EMT colleagues, Keith Fairben and Mario Santuro, were missing. Fairben and Ribaudo were often partners in the field and it was Fairben who had convinced Ribaudo to go to paramedic school, which they attended together, starting two years prior.

“I think about that day and Keith, every day,” Ribaudo says now. “Keith used to say to me: ‘You’re going to be my boss someday.’”

Ribaudo, now 47, did become the boss, earning promotion in 2010 to director of emergency medical services. This followed stints starting in 1997 as a dispatcher, EMS-paramedic, department supervisor and, lastly, manager of operations. “I was inspired to serve by an uncle who was a volunteer firefighter and paramedic,” he says.

From a shelf near Ribaudo’s work desk, portable two-way radios chirp and crackle, broadcasting chatter from New York City’s fire and police departments. Being portable means he takes his work home with him. “I have at least one on, and with me, at all times,” he says.

Ribaudo oversees a staff of 350 and budget of $20 million. He makes sure shifts are fully staffed and trained, ensures that vehicles and equipment are in working order, and often communicates with his two managers of operations as well as with doctors.

Along with his work the past 18 years with New York-Presbyterian, Ribaudo was a volunteer firefighter with the Huntington, Long Island, fire department for 24 years. He’s now an honorary lifetime member. In the late 1990s, he received a Class I Gold Medal of Valor for his work in the rescue and treatment of a man who fell into a 60-foot deep cesspool.

“I was lowered down via a crane into the hole to treat and stabilize the patient, who happened to be an off-duty NYC firefighter,” he says. “I was scared to death.”

David Ramage, operations manager for EMS, has worked with and under Ribaudo for 16 years, says, “when the community faces a crisis, such as Sandy, blizzards, Ebola and power outages, Dan is at work, managing our response, for days and nights at a time. He is quick-thinking and -acting in a crisis. He sets the example for all of us.”

There have been a few standout moments during Ribaudo’s tenure, including the blackout that crippled portions of the Northeast in the summer of 2003. “It may have been fun for many — lots of neighbors drinking and making friends — but for those who needed emergency medical service, it was dicey. The most dangerous part of that day and night was that there were no traffic lights.”

In 2006, a small plane crashed into a building on East 72nd street, killing the two-person plane’s pilot, former Major League pitcher Cory Lidle, and flight instructor Tyler Stanger. The initial broadcast of the crash was a scary reminder.

“We [NY-Presbyterian units] and the NYPD were first on the scene, and what we all first thought about was 9/11,” he says.

Hurricane Sandy kept Ribaudo at his job for 12 straight days. From evacuating New York-Presbyterian’s lower Manhattan hospital to preparing the special operations division, much was done in advance of the storm. As it turned out, though, the damage was extreme, and with many other hospitals, such as Bellevue and New York University, forced to close, “New York-Presbyterian became the beacon of light since we never lost power. We’ve never experienced anything like that, and hopefully, never will again,” he recalls.

Ribaudo, lives on Long Island with his wife and two children, and will always have Keith Fairben close to his heart.

“A partner is closer than a best friend ... someone who will always be there. That’s what I miss most,” he says.

But he’s also got his continuing mission to think about.

“This is an amazing hospital and I am so proud to lead the department of the most talented and passionate medical professionals in the world,” he says.