fire/ems integration.....your opinion???

[daedalus]

JP I find it soooooo soooo odd that OCFD has red ambulances with a gurney that are just paramedic squads! They cannot transport! WTF!?

Wait, they do transport if a firefighter is injured, but thats it.

 

[DWemt28]

JP I find it soooooo soooo odd that OCFD has red ambulances with a gurney that are just paramedic squads! They cannot transport! WTF!?

Thats right! ridiculous much? They contract private to transport.

 

[JPINFV]

You know, even when they do transport (I'm looking at you Santa Ana), it's still a fluster cluck. Called 911 for paramedics one night at this really bad SNF in Santa Ana (you know the type, the one where you've requested paramedics/transported emergently more often than not), got a good ETA, informed the dispatcher that it's an IFT unit calling and that we'll meet the medics at our ambulance. Who arrives first? Fire engine staffed with basics. Conversaton went something like this:

3 FFs standing at the rear of my ambulance: "Hi, need any help? We're EMT-Basics also, so we can't really add anything."

Me looking down from the ambulance with my patient already loaded: "Um, we're pretty good right now, just waiting for the medics. Thanks though."

Really. You've got an IFT ambulance calling for medics who is saying that they'll have no problem moving the patient from the patient's room to the ambulance and you send a BLS engine? Thanks Santa Ana dispatch, real helpful there.

 

[BossyCow]

I want to be a chef but every restaurant here makes their chefs wait tables. I don't want to wait tables. I want to be a chef. I want to whine about how unfair it is that the company who will be paying my salary is determining my work conditions? Is this fair? Is this right? Can I make them stop?

I want to be a plumber, but the people around here who hire plumbers want their plumbers to be carpenters. I don't want to do carpentry. What can I do?

I want to work as an IT professional but they are expecting me to work with the finance departments, I hate finance guys... what do I do? Do I have to work under the conditions set by the guy who's going to be paying my wages?

To enter a job market, without being willing to meet the conditions set by those who are going to be hiring you is setting yourself up for failure. If your area has EMS/Fire together and you don't like that... move! That's what every other employee in the world does!

 

[mikie]

Back where I previously lived, ALS ambulance & ALS engines ran most calls (the engine didn't always run, but I'd say majority of the time). So this was a total of roughly 6-8 paramedics on the scene with 2 sets of jump bags, drugs, monitors, etc. Often times it was a cluster f*ck.

Personally, I think the FD should only respond for additional manpower (on medical calls).

 

[medic417]

Hello. Right now im in my emt-b training and i plan on starting paramedic training next year. However I'm facing a problem. Where I live, in order to be a paramedic, you must be a firefighter. Only emt-b's roll in the ambulance. I've got nothing against fire medics. They sure are great at what they do (emergency is one of my favorite shows!) but I just don't think that firefighting is my line of work. What do you think? Do you believe in ALS fire and BLS ambulances?

No. I believe they are seperate fields. You should specialize to ffer your patients the best of care. Sadly though fire unions have pushed to take over EMS to get more money. Als many citys decide it is cheaper to make fire specialists also become medical. Sorry but t be the best you need to specialize. Do whats right for the patients. But for work you may have no choice but to join fire depending on the area.