Boston Globe: Should the FD respond to medicals?

[mikeN]

Keep in mind, Boston Fire does not do PT transports.
As for the fly cars, cross the river into cambridge and cambridge fire has 2 "fly cars" staffed by medics. These are basically vans staffed by 2 medics with forcible entry equipment. Cambridge as 2 rescue trucks but they mostly rely on ProEMS for most transports since they already have a high call volume for as it is.

 

[A36]

Transport was never my issue, but I can understand needing the apparatus if there's another call that requires it. We can scratch the fly cars then.

Boston EMS used to run cars staffed with an EMT and a police officer (this is a LONG time ago) to go to scenes and determine the appropriate level of response. After BPD took their officers out, the lone EMTs were getting assaulted and that ended that program. Don't think that's going to work either.

 

[mikeN]

Boston Ems having police ride along makes sense given some areas. Boston Ems gets self defense lessons in the academy and after graduation you get a bullet proof vest and handcuffs.

 

[firecoins]

Quote above is from article. My question is if fire calls saw a 44% decline and EMS calls saw a 200% increase in the same time period, why do they still have more fire trucks than ambulances. Wouldn't it make sense to reduce fire trucks and increase ambulances so the ambulances can be there first? Seems pretty straight forward.

Things like 9/11. When an firefighter dies, we see the funeral, aparade etc You might get a quick blurb about an EMS workers if anything.