On Wednesday, March 16, dozens of active and retired FDNY members gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the merger between the Health and Hospitals Corporation Emergency Medical Service and the Fire Department of New York. On March 17, 1996, the two groups officially merged, making FDNY the largest department based provider of emergency medical care in the country. This collaboration has helped the department continue to save lives and respond efficiently to the growing number of medical calls received each year in New York City.