BLS Ambulance Staffing

[marineman]

WI state law, the lowest level of provider allowed to staff an ambulance is EMT-B. Most local services run 2 paramedic crews. One service I work for is 1 emt, 1 medic. The other service is 1 emt, 1 intermediate. We use first responders as drivers if they're available on scene and we have a critical patient that requires both of us in the back or if we have multiple patients.

 

[Sasha]

After work yesterday I traveled with a friend down into the Tampa area and back and talking to an EMT in Tampa, I found out that they have a BLS 911 ambulance. The BLS 911 ambulance gets dispatched with an ALS engine to all calls (Still giving us an ALS response.) but the BLS engine can be staffed with two EMTs or an EMT and a First Responder.

( I didn't know Florida had FR! )

 

[AJ Hidell]

( I didn't know Florida had FR! )

Isn't that just a fancy name for a fireman who let his EMT cert expire so he wouldn't get stuck on the ambulance?

 

[Sasha]

Isn't that just a fancy name for a fireman who let his EMT cert expire so he wouldn't get stuck on the ambulance?

Negative. State law mandates that all Fire Fighters must be at least an EMT-Basic. So I've been told. I'm too lazy to look it up.

 

[Hockey]

Hmmm at my last job, they let MFR's work on the rig (only as drivers though)

Kinda sucked being partnered up with the few because they wouldn't help on the nasty calls or when they didn't "feel" like it. They'd play the well my SOP only allows me to...

 

[AJ Hidell]

Negative. State law mandates that all Fire Fighters must be at least an EMT-Basic. So I've been told. I'm too lazy to look it up.

Some states require EMT for fire certification, but do not require you to maintain it after certification. Not sure about Florida.

 

[BossyCow]

Won't argue with that, but it does bring up the next question: if you have people in your service that aren't able to provide pt care, is it because they are still in the process of learning how, or is it because they really don't want to and only drive?

Generally they are still in the process of obtaining certification. There are two volunteers who do not have EMT-B and who do not plan on obtaining it. They are both long term vollies and invaluable on scenes.

Sasha in response to your comment:

Sounds like you need to get your staffing issues worked out. One EMT in the area is just a little bit on the pathetic side. EMT class isn't a hard thing to pass.

We are a volly agency and our 'staffing' depends on who is in the area and available to respond. It has nothing to do with the difficulty of the training, but availability of the personnel. There are no jobs here, other than clerk at the general store or working at the school. Everyone else works in town some 30 miles to the east. We have 14 EMTs but no guarantees as to how many will be available to respond to any given call. We can't do shifts without paying on-call pay and our board refuses to do that.

 

[Sasha]

Then you area seriously needs to get it together. That is unacceptable that you may be the only responding provider. What happens when you're not there and no one responds?

And if there is a will there is a way. There are some pretty piss poor areas in Florida, as well, but they still manage to find a way to provide decent, reliable EMS to their area and there are VERY few volunteer agencies.

 

[BossyCow]

Then you area seriously needs to get it together. That is unacceptable that you may be the only responding provider. What happens when you're not there and no one responds?

And if there is a will there is a way. There are some pretty piss poor areas in Florida, as well, but they still manage to find a way to provide decent, reliable EMS to their area and there are VERY few volunteer agencies.

It is acceptable to the citizens of the district. If we are not available, dispatch tones out the nearest adjoining district for response. They are about a half hour away. Some people opt to go to the ER POV. Some just wait, some die. The people who live here have the option of moving someplace with better service, more available resources, but chose to remain here.

 

[Sasha]

They are about a half hour away. Some people opt to go to the ER POV. Some just wait, some die.

And that's acceptable?

 

[BLSBoy]

And that's acceptable?

Screw em.
They dont wanna pay, thats what they get.
Cold? Yes
Reality? Yes.

To quote Ron White.....Ya can't fix stupid.

 

[BossyCow]

Screw em.
They dont wanna pay, thats what they get.
Cold? Yes
Reality? Yes.

To quote Ron White.....Ya can't fix stupid.

Absolutely..... while it would be great to have it all wonderful, it would also be great if they all got indoor plumbing.. that ain't happening either any time soon!

 

[Shishkabob]

God, I could never live in an area like that.


Not because of no EMS, but I've always lived in the suburbs where everything I could ever want was within a 10 minute drive.

 

[ffemt8978]

God, I could never live in an area like that.


Not because of no EMS, but I've always lived in the suburbs where everything I could ever want was within a 10 minute drive.

And I prefer not to have neighbors closer than 10 minutes away.

 

[marineman]

And I prefer not to have neighbors closer than 10 minutes away.

x2

10 characters

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

In California the law does not allow First Responders (a 50-60 hour course) to drive ambulance, and since you must be at least an EMT-B to drive ambulance, then I know of no First Responders who work Ambulance. We do however have BLS and ALS cars out here. ALS cars are typically staffed with one Paramedic and one EMT. The Paramedic takes ALS calls and the EMT takes BLS calls. If we need a third or forth hand on a call, we grab one of the Firefighters (a FR or EMT) to ride to the hospital. BLS cars are transfer ambulances only and are staffed with 2 EMT's who take every other call. The other type of car we use are Critial Care Transport (CCT) which handled critical transfers an was staffed with one MICN and one Paramedic, or one MICN and two EMT's. I worked BLS, ALS, and CCT cars when I was on ambulance. This system seemed to work and was more cost effective then some of the setups I've seen here. The advantage to a BLS transfer system is that the new guys got start out tehre and hone their assessment and driving skills before jumping on an ALS rig.

 

[tydek07]

There are a lot of Volunteer BLS services around here. First Responders are always in the back doing pt care with an EMT. So yes, they can/do ride, as there has to be an EMT (or higher) in back.

 

[Joel Yarberry]

In AR. FR is 40 hours. To go from FR to EMT is a big difference 240 class hours rescue ops class practicals and then national. I was reading some post & replies I dont know how it is every where else

 

[eynonqrs]

Well, this topic to me has no bearing and I am letting some steam off here. Where I am at ALS gets sent for just about everything. Acutally I feel like a glorified ambulance driver. BLS shouldn't stand for Basic Life Support , it should stand for BAND AID Life Support. 99% of the time we get to the call and just take the strecher in. Why have all that required equipment when you don't get to use it ? BLS is better off going back to cadiallac ambulances, why pay all this money for equipment ?

 

[Kendall]

Our levels of care are somewhat different; our "first responder," or Emergency Medical Responder, is equivalent to the American EMT-B. Our BLS units can be staffed by max 3 people, and must have at least one EMT-A onboard (EMT-A being equivalent of EMT-I)