EMS Cuts Loom In Detroit

[MMiz]

EMS Cuts Loom In Detroit
Budget Cuts Will Cause Layoffs, Takes Hours For EMS To Respond

DETROIT -- Deep cuts are in the works for emergency services in the city of Detroit.Emergency workers told Local 4 that they’re already understaffed, but come July 1, 33 more EMS positions will be eliminated.

A fleet of 24 medic units will be reduced to just 15.

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[DrParasite]

shocker. budget cuts are cutting into public safety.

detroit EMS (which is understaffed just like every other urban city) is gonna take a hit, response times are gonna skyrocket, FD is going to babysit until an ambulance becomes available, people will die waiting for an ambulance, every BS patient will develop resp distress to get the ambulance there quicker, the city will tell EMS they need to improve response times, and more corners will be cut in order to do this.

it is going to happen, it's not a good situation, and the citizens are going to suffer. and until someone important (politician's family member) dies because of the extended response time due to no available units, nothing will change.

oh yeah, forgot to add, when it does happen, the politician will place the blame squarely on the head of the EMS department, and probably look to fire many in upper management, not on those who cut the funding for the available units.

 

[rescue99]

shocker. budget cuts are cutting into public safety.

detroit EMS (which is understaffed just like every other urban city) is gonna take a hit, response times are gonna skyrocket, FD is going to babysit until an ambulance becomes available, people will die waiting for an ambulance, every BS patient will develop resp distress to get the ambulance there quicker, the city will tell EMS they need to improve response times, and more corners will be cut in order to do this.

it is going to happen, it's not a good situation, and the citizens are going to suffer. and until someone important (politician's family member) dies because of the extended response time due to no available units, nothing will change.

oh yeah, forgot to add, when it does happen, the politician will place the blame squarely on the head of the EMS department, and probably look to fire many in upper management, not on those who cut the funding for the available units.

Detroit FD babysit? NOT! Not unless a vehicle accident is involved. EMS is pretty much on their own. Only time I ever got FD on scene was A; when he/she was the patient or B; when extrication or wash down is needed.

I've worked the casino cars and in Detroit many times. Casino cars are dispatched by Detroit so of course, it meant we were tied into their radio. Those awful response times are historic! I've also watched PD pull into Sinai or Grace, Receiving or HFH, Holy Cross, Riverview (on and on) with patients oh, so many times. None of this is news. It's just expected to get worse than the already over burdened urban system's norm.

 

[DrParasite]

Detroit FD babysit? NOT! Not unless a vehicle accident is involved. EMS is pretty much on their own. Only time I ever got FD on scene was A; when he/she was the patient or B; when extrication or wash down is needed.

Give it time. when times get bad enough some politician will propose it, as a way to "stop the clock" until an ambulance arrives.

Currently my system doesn't use the FD as a first response system, and we are pretty busy. but it keeps getting thrown around as a way to keep response times down. the only thing keeping it from happening is that both EMS and Fire are both against the plan (but for different reasons).

 

[Veneficus]

It is foolish to measure response times.

It is more foolish to use them as a measure of the effectiveness of an EMS system.

In the most time critical emergencies, like cardiac arrest, there would have to be CPR in under 4 minutes from the event. That is a benchmark that can never be reliably met by EMS. It can only be met regularly with bystanders.

With the onset of cell death, particularly nonregenerating cells like brain/heart, if it takes 60 seconds for somebody to call and dispatch, 60 seconds to get in the truck and start moving, a responder would have to have hands on the patient 2 minutes later in order to meet a time that wold actually help in a cardiac arrest. The BS of < 8:59, 90% is utterly useless. It was designed to reflect the average response and make it look good, not related to patient condition or the effectiveness of intervention at that time.

Consider the rarity of other time critical calls like anaphylaxis. There is a hgh probability the patient will have the epi pen with them. Even if they don't, how many of your agency's responses last year were to such patients. (I am willingly to bet, extremely small)

The "golden hour" of trauma has been debunked, along with all the other precious metal/time ratios.

Sucks to hear if you work in EMS, but if a cop shows up in 4 minutes tosses somebody in the back of a cruiser, and is at the hospital 4 minutes later. That is better patient care than waiting on scene for at least 8:59 for an ambulance to even show up.

I have said it in many threads, for many years. EMS needs to demonstrate its value. It needs to stop being just a glorified taxi because municiple leaders would figure out that type of system is a waste of money. Many of us have laid out the future of EMS education and roles in order to maintain measurable value. A large body of EMS persons and agencies decided instead of embracing a different future to tell us "how it really is today."

Best of luck keeping a job because I'll bet that Detroit won't be the only place cutting back EMS jobs. If public safety agencies of all types keep insisting on only operating in the 20th century model, then public safety of all types will see equal job loss.

 

[1badassEMT-I]

TAXI!!!!!!!! CAN I GET A TAXI!!!!!!!!! thats what wrong with the system......we should be able to kick some of these """"oh my toe hurts"""" people on the curb and tell them we are not a TAXI!!!!!!! I run a CABULANCE not a AMBULANCE!!!!!!

 

[firecoins]

most calls probably need just a taxi.