Pittsburgh EMS, FD feud over response times and ‘hostile takeover’

[FiremanMike]

I just want to be able to make a living making that wine. If I'm doing 70-80% of the work the "modern fire service" does I want at least equal benefits and pay.

Can’t argue with that for a second, sadly it doesn’t seem to ever work that way..

 

[Tigger]

I was single role at my job now, but I made the same as the FF/medics. I went to the fire academy for promotional opportunities as the single role medics could never obtain any rank, only a “coordinator role.” That’s a department issue, but it’s what I faced.

I spend most shifts on the medic, I’m fine with that. Fire training is fun, and I can actually make informed decisions about extricating patients. We have lots of good paramedics both single and dual roles. And we have crappy paramedics, of both roles as well.

As a five station fire department we can do EMS well. There are a lot of bigger fire departments in Colorado that do EMS well too. But it would be a disaster if say Denver Fire tried to take over EMS (which has been talked about). There’s no EMS culture at Denver fire, it would be a disaster.

 

[Akulahawk]

I think @Tigger has touched on something fundamental to this discussion. I think in order for a Fire Department to do EMS well, there has to be either an EMS culture already or the department has to fully buy-in to having an EMS culture blend in with the existing Fire culture, so much so that the EMS side doesn't get left-out or treated as the typical "red headed step child" that it often does. All that being said, if the two cultures aren't well blended, then having Fire take over EMS function will eventually fail and the EMS function will have to split away from Fire.

 

[E tank]

I just want to be able to make a living making that wine. If I'm doing 70-80% of the work the "modern fire service" does I want at least equal benefits and pay.

And therein lies the rub...While I personally endorse 3rd service municipal/county EMS (FWIW), the reality is that the dynamics, nature, characteristics etc., of the job itself just don't lend themselves to a life long career for most people. Cities and counties know that and so don't invest in EMS like they do fire and law.

As flawed as it is, fire based EMS provides a way out of the ambulance grinder and into a career pathway. So for example when SFFD 'took over' EMS (the privates still run tons of 911 calls) they hired many, many of the displaced medics from the City 3rd service who then had a world of opportunity, compensation and benefits opened up to them, (as do the medics who hire from the privates now.)

That said, if San Francisco stands out as a model for emergency medical care, it isn't because of the EMS, it's because of the short transport times and tertiary/quaternary medical centers around the City.

 

[Tigger]

I just want to be able to make a living making that wine. If I'm doing 70-80% of the work the "modern fire service" does I want at least equal benefits and pay.

Nailed it. EMS can be a grind, and for the money tha lt most make, it is. But add some benefits and great pay and suddenly it’s a career.