Exemplary Private/Non-Profit Services?

MMiz

MMiz

I put the M in EMTLife
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Which private or non-profit EMS services do it right? Some priorities:
  • High hiring/employment standards
  • Progressive protocols
  • Involved medical director
  • Top of the line equipment
  • Generous compensation
  • Access to quality continuing education
  • Supports growth/advancement
Are there any out there?
 
I've heard good things about REMSA.

I assume you're wanting to exclude third service agencies?
 
MMiz said:
Which private or non-profit EMS services do it right? Some priorities:
  • High hiring/employment standards
  • Progressive protocols
  • Involved medical director
  • Top of the line equipment
  • Generous compensation
  • Access to quality continuing education
  • Supports growth/advancement
Are there any out there?
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To do this means money, and real money means tax revenue. Without that, most services will always struggle to meet all of those things.
 
My initial thought was to exclude third service agencies.

I really struggle to think of a single private service that checks all of the boxes.
 
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I’ve always really respected Hall and Harris County Emergency Corps. Not saying they don’t have issues, but Hall made a heck of an impression on me as a kid and their reputation is pretty solid even 20 years later. HCEC definitely has challenges as well, but in their current form they’re pretty solidly honest.
Also (and don’t laugh), AMR New Mexico.
 
Really AMR Colorado Springs/El Paso County does offer all of these things except for generous pay. 20 bucks an hour for a no experience medic is better than average in the region but I have a hard time calling that generous. Pay scale tops out at 36 and change which is quite good but good luck getting there. There's more supervisory and education opportunities than most private operations, but at the same time you're playing second fiddle to non-transport city fire the whole time, so is this the growth most people are looking for? I'm not sure.
 
People like to give AMR a hard time, but when I started in EMS they had the highest standards of any private service in the area.
 
It's easy to find fault with the largest. Each AMR operation is different and while Seattle is a joke, places like The Springs and Manchester NH are doing great work.
 
New Britain EMS in CT hits 5 out of those 7 criteria, which I would say is pretty damn good.
 
WEMS meets 6.5/7.

Pay is generous for the area, at least 1 new truck a year (the oldest back up is only 4 years old).

Hiring standards have slacked only due to a shallow applicant pool so I subtracted 0.5.

New lifepak 15s, new king vision.
 
medichopeful said:
New Britain EMS in CT hits 5 out of those 7 criteria, which I would say is pretty damn good.
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How are they funded? I always assumed they were city operation, guess not.
 
Tigger said:
How are they funded? I always assumed they were city operation, guess not.
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They're about as close to a third service as possible without being a third service, but they’re private and have a board of directors.

Our trucks are bought for us by the city, and our base is owned by the city as well (we pay like $10 a year for rent or some small amount). If I’m not mistaken, the city also pays for our gasoline and diesel.

We get a lot of grants, along with a ton of support from the city. In addition, the academy (the education arm of the service) helps with funding by running classes and doing outreach. Our relationship with the city government is top-notch, and our relationship with police and fire is incredible. We’re basically treated like city employees, even though we’re not. No service rivalry, or “we’re better than you” issues going any direction.

Truly a great operation all around, and definitely a unicorn in the EMS world.
 
medichopeful said:
They're about as close to a third service as possible without being a third service, but they’re private and have a board of directors.

Our trucks are bought for us by the city, and our base is owned by the city as well (we pay like $10 a year for rent or some small amount). If I’m not mistaken, the city also pays for our gasoline and diesel.

We get a lot of grants, along with a ton of support from the city. In addition, the academy (the education arm of the service) helps with funding by running classes and doing outreach. Our relationship with the city government is top-notch, and our relationship with police and fire is incredible. We’re basically treated like city employees, even though we’re not. No service rivalry, or “we’re better than you” issues going any direction.

Truly a great operation all around, and definitely a unicorn in the EMS world.
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It’s the one of the few places in New England that make me want to move back.

That city relationship probably helps a ton with the budget, and is another example of how hard a true, separate non-profit would be to run.
 
My dream agency was a a private service contracted with the county. They were dissolved and local fire took over. Oh how I miss Skagit County Medic One.
 
Tigger said:
It’s the one of the few places in New England that make me want to move back.

That city relationship probably helps a ton with the budget, and is another example of how hard a true, separate non-profit would be to run.
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It's truly a great place to work, and from what I've seen definitely one of the best systems in New England, possibly the country. They treat their employees right, and in return the employees give a lot back to the organization.

If we didn't have the support of the city, and good leadership, it would be just like any other private. Our leadership, staff, and our relationship with other agencies is what I feel really sets us apart.
 
PotatoMedic said:
My dream agency was a a private service contracted with the county. They were dissolved and local fire took over. Oh how I miss Skagit County Medic One.
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I have a few friends there, and the new County director Is a friend of mine. my buddy in Burlington told me it’s really not any different.
 
That's good at least. And I know the director as well. I worked with him at Falck. I just don't want to be a firefighter... 😖
 
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