Empress Emergency Medical Services recently recognized 164 employees for safe driving on the job between Jan. 1 and June 30.
Employee driving is monitored through a system in ambulances that tracks when errors are made on the road that constitute safety hazards. Empress’s Safety Team keeps track of these, and each employee receives a driving safety score. Those who received a score of 90 or above during the first six months of 2025 were rewarded with a bonus day off.
“Each vehicle has a camera system called Samsara,” said Lt. Andrew Doherty, who serves with Lt. Theo Dawydko on Empress’s Safety Team. “It tracks by video the interior of the cab and the road and uses facial recognition to detect the person driving the vehicle. Using artificial intelligence, it can recognize if a person triggers an event that might be unsafe, such as using their phone, running a stop sign, or following another vehicle too closely.”
Doherty said the scores are based on miles driven versus events that trigger the system’s alerts, so safe driving practices are noted and reflected in the driving scores.
“To improve scores, employees should drive safely, and their scores will continue to improve,” he said. “If someone does trigger an event that affects their score, the more miles they drive safely, their score will go back to a positive rating.”
About Empress EMS
Since its inception in 1985, Empress has made a firm commitment to emergency medical services and quality after-care transportation with a focus on providing state-of-the-art patient care in a personal and compassionate manner. Its unparalleled reputation in Westchester and the Hudson Valley demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach. Empress provides 911 emergency medical services to the City of Yonkers as well as mutual-aid response to neighboring communities. It also has emergency and non-emergency service contracts throughout Westchester County and the Hudson Valley with many municipalities, hospitals, correctional institutions, and private care. For more information about Empress, visit empressems.com.
About PatientCare EMS Solutions
PatientCare EMS Solutions is a leading provider of ground-based 911 emergency ambulance services and other critical healthcare logistics solutions. With corporate offices in Tyler, TX, and Atlanta, GA, the company operates growing partnerships with representative customers in Florida, Texas, South Dakota, and New York. PatientCare is responsible for transporting more than 400,000 patients annually and is committed to providing compassionate quality care and service built around the needs of the patients and communities in which it serves. For more information about PatientCare, visit the website at patientcareems.com.
