Honolulu EMS announces significant pay raises to boost staffing

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Honolulu Emergency Medical Services will implement significant pay raises starting in January to recruit and retain experienced paramedics, EMTs and dispatchers who handle about 9,000 calls every month island-wide.

“It’s tough. It’s stressful. We ask a lot of our paramedics, EMTs and dispatchers. They’re going to record number of calls,” said Dr. James Ireland, director of the city’s Emergency Services Department.

The city approved Ireland’s budget request to fund step raises that particularly reward longevity, with the most experienced workers receiving the largest increases.

Workers with two years or less time will receive a $2 per hour of work boosting their hourly rate to $34. That amounts to about $4,000 more every year.

The scale goes up from there topping out with the most experienced workers who have at least 25 years of service. They will receive up to a $30,500 increase every year.

“So maybe they don’t have to work so much overtime, maybe they don’t have to work a second job,” Ireland said.

Ireland said the raises also help “compensate them for what they’re worth, because we don’t want people leaving because they can’t afford to work in EMS.”

EMS has 249 first responders: paramedics, EMTs and dispatchers. There is a shortage of 24. An academy class of 19 recruits will start in early 2026.

The shrinking vacancy number is due to the focus on recruitment.

EMS will also receive additional ambulances in 2026, with new units planned for Kaimuki, Maunawili, Waikane, and Ko Olina to decrease response time.