Medics upset over Long Beach pilot deployment plan

Yea I don't really get this. Seems to be really undermining the capabilities of the emt"s also dont most systems have one emt one paramedic? Seems like it is a good idea to spread the skill around. Its not like they are tossing the emt a hose and telling him to go put out a fire. There needs to be ems on scene of a fire and most places that is not fd ems.
 
Perhaps it's time CA, LACo in particular, to let EMT's do what they trained to do! The super limited scope out here, no wonder they worry about EMT's being 'let loose.'
 
avdrummerboy said:
Perhaps it's time CA, LACo in particular, to let EMT's do what they trained to do! The super limited scope out here, no wonder they worry about EMT's being 'let loose.'
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We can't have that! That means higher wages and more respect! we have to stick to the standards of 1978 Johnny & Roy.
 
Haha, true, maybe it'll make us worth $9 an hour now, at my company anyway!!
 
avdrummerboy said:
Haha, true, maybe it'll make us worth $9 an hour now, at my company anyway!!
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Well if you look at the wages of 1997 you will see the wages have not really changed at all. Some emts were making $9.00 an hour already.lol
 
Heres something to consider. Long Beach used bowers ambulance for a really long time up until 1998 or so for everything until fire took over. Santa Monica the same thing private medic and an emt. Bakersfield does this to this day. 1 emt 1 paramedic and they are not fire fighters. It freakin works! Imagine that! LOL
 
It is long past time for EMS to be separated from the Fire Service.
 
gonefishing said:
Heres something to consider. Long Beach used bowers ambulance for a really long time up until 1998 or so for everything until fire took over. Santa Monica the same thing private medic and an emt. Bakersfield does this to this day. 1 emt 1 paramedic and they are not fire fighters. It freakin works! Imagine that! LOL
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Actually Santa Monica uses private BLS ambulance with Paramedic Engine companies that are in charge of the calls
 
Ah ok, I must've misread, thought you meant nowadays...
 
Jim37F said:
Ah ok, I must've misread, thought you meant nowadays...
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I'm just trying to show its been done, is being done and is manageable. The public in LA and its county though are so misinformed about emt's to the point that you are just an ambulance driver private medics are not real paramedics. If your wearing banana pants and full turn out gear to every call and drive a big red truck your a real emt or paramedic.lol
 
So this pilot program will probably work out just fine and open the flood gates to 1-1 here in LA Co. time for changes, I think I will call it quits next year 16 years in, but change is good. This works everywhere else and it should just work just fine here.
 
Firefighters say such calls illustrate how sworn firefighter paramedics are being tied up with nonlife-threatening situations that could be handled by civilian EMTs under an experimental new staffing model. The Long Beach Firefighters Association said the change could potentially lead to slower response times for more critical calls requiring a highly trained medic.
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The firefighters association said its chief concern is that when an ambulance is called out to a critical situation, a paramedic will arrive with a civilian EMT, who is less expensive but also receives less training.
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Mad respect for Fire Medics, really. But there is an ET tube up someone's *** here. ie, "sworn vs civilian" and an SI Pt being a "non-life threatening situation".
 
This county really needs to not handcuff departments in these hard financial times. Allow all these assessment engines/trucks to transport and give them a full drug box.
 
Uclabruin103 said:
This county really needs to not handcuff departments in these hard financial times. Allow all these assessment engines/trucks to transport and give them a full drug box.
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Only problem is that's money. I don't get why big red has to show up to every call? Most calls me and my partner are able to handle vs 8 fireman standing around doing nothing.
 
gonefishing said:
Only problem is that's money. I don't get why big red has to show up to every call? Most calls me and my partner are able to handle vs 8 fireman standing around doing nothing.
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I know it's a money thing. I'm saying what's the point of having medics on assessment engines and trucks when they can't transport. If the patient is ALS then they call a dual medic unit. This now ties up two resources. If we can get to just one medic for transports then we add more als transport capability.
 
Uclabruin103 said:
This county really needs to not handcuff departments in these hard financial times. Allow all these assessment engines/trucks to transport and give them a full drug box.
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Please tell me you're kidding. How do you propose that a non-transport capable unit like a ladder, engine, quint, or squad transport? Buy something huge and ridiculous like a Braun Patriot? Because that will cost much more money than they're losing by not transporting. Besides, it's been well shown that most urban areas 911 is not a large money maker. Most for-profit agencies make their money on transfers.
 
Or FD could just send ambulances to ambulance calls rather than a huge truck that gets crap for gas mileage and end up with thousands of unneeded miles which jacks up the cost of maintenance and premature replacement.

Also...for what most fire medics make they need to cut the whining out.

Edited to redact the last paragraph so as to not create the butt-hurt...
 
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