Inspir
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Is volunteer EMS a thing in the US? I'm from Canada and it is very rare here.
Mixed agency
- Thread starter MMM Medic11
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Flying
Mostly Ignorant
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Yes. It's more common in some states than others.
TransportJockey
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Unfortunately it's very much a thing
NomadicMedic
I know a guy who knows a guy.
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And some places do it better than others. When I think of great volunteer EMS systems, New Jersey does not show up at the top of that list
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Bullets
Forum Knucklehead
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Tell your chief to call Clinton or Princeton First Aid squads. I assume based on the MMM youre with the Minutemen
Both those agencies are really well run combination departments that not only do BLS but also provide heavy rescue services to their towns. They have seamless integration with the volunteers and paid. Its not uncommon to have a crew be mixed with paid and volunteer.
As far as soft billing, it has to happen and most residents wont ever be affected by it nor will they ever know there was a time when they didnt bill. The only people who notice the change will be the frequent fliers who are already burdening your system
akflightmedic
Forum Deputy Chief
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Unfortunately it is...and the same communities which "cannot afford paid EMS" have no issue paying for dog catchers, pot hole fillers, police and every other public service available. Have to ask yourself...why is that? I never see people on the side of the road doing improvements with volunteer on their back.
hosejockey
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I'm kind of curious. How does it work for 16-17 year old emt's? Does nj not take nr?
If I were sick having someone treat me that was in high school still.. I'd be like.. Isn't your nap time coming up?
Flying
Mostly Ignorant
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Applying for state certification (not NR) allows 16+ year olds to be EMTs in NJ as long as they don't run calls in late hours (overnight) during the school week or something to that effect. This is not enforced often as you can imagine.
DrParasite
The fire extinguisher is not just for show
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I'd also look at Flemington, South River, Hillsborough, and North Brunswick, all those transitioned from 100% volunteer to combination career and volunteer with varying levels of results.
That's often the big question.... how will you pay for it? and if you can afford it, why would you not want a crew in house 24/7? As long as the crew is in house, properly trained, acting professional, and ready to go, why should it matter if they are paid or volunteer?
Soft billing is a good idea, but the members need to realize that everyone needs to have insurance information collected, and there are some incredibly stupid people that will refuse or "forget" to get insurance information, for various reasons.
Once you start hiring paid staff, you will lose volunteers, at least at first. people can develop the attitude "i don't need to work my shift or do xyz, they can pay someone to do it." The transition is usually not as seamless as some will claim. If the agency requires all first out crews be in house and ready to go, than the volunteers will need to be in house on their shifts, even if they live a block away, within 2 minutes, or can see the station from their home. and if the existing volunteers can't adjust to the new way of operating, then maybe it's time for them to move on. That isn't to say it shouldn't happen, but there will be hiccups.
BTW, in NJ, you can't run an ALS ambulance at the township level. even if its staffed by two volunteer or paid paramedics. Oh, and depending on your area, it might make sense to staff 2 ambulances, and have the second out ambulance be staffed by a supervisor and an EMT who handle mostly mutual aid request.
Remember, paid or volunteer, maintain the same standard of care, standard of competence, same uniform and equipment for all staff, so the public won't see a difference if the ambulance that shows up is staffed by a paid EMT or a volunteer.
Bullets
Forum Knucklehead
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So NJ doesn't do the national registry thing at the BLS level, kinda. If you have NR then you can apply for a NJ card. You can operate under your NR for 6 months until you get the NJ card. If you just take the course in NJ you get a NJ card.
If you are 16-17 you can take the EMT class and get certified as a probationary EMT until you turn 18. Then you become a regular EMT. Probationary EMTs can't treat on thirty own and must be directly supervised by an adult. This allows them to get two years of supervised experience before they are released to the road.
That's the theory. I'm sure there are some volunteer agencies up in the Sussex hinterland or Cumberland boonies that will roll with a minor as the primary tech. The state could pull those EMTs certs but there's nothing they can do to the agency if they aren't a licensed organization
hosejockey
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That's fairly sketchy.