FDNY lieutenant suspended 4 weeks after choking out EMT over disagreement to help unconscious person

An FDNY lieutenant who was arrested for allegedly choking a city emergency medical technician during a heated on-the-job altercation has been suspended for four weeks without pay, officials said.

Neal Francis, 47, of Brooklyn’s Engine 234 in Crown Heights, was charged with strangulation after getting into an argument with the EMT on how to handle a call to assist an unconscious person in Brooklyn that both responded to, according to the NYPD and other sources. The FDNY on Friday confirmed Francis’ suspension, but did not provide further comment.

Francis’ base pay is $90,457, but he made $168,205 with overtime last fiscal year.

Four weeks without pay will cost him at least $6,958.

Francis could not be reached for comment, and his union, the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, did not respond to messages left Saturday.

Local 2507 of District Council 37, which represents the city’s 4,100 EMTs and paramedics, also didn’t return messages.

The NYPD refused to provide specifics about the confrontation – including whether anyone was seriously injured or who the victim was.

Firefighters and medics, all of whom are FDNY employees, typically respond to the same emergency calls.

While attacks on medics by firefighters are a rarity, assaults and threats against medics by civilians surged 2,320%, from 15 in 2011 to 363 in 2022, according to the latest available records.