What do you think?

[aristigal]

I have a moral dilema. I work for a government agency and a large part of my job is mutual aid responses to other towns. There is one town in the area that calls us quite frequently as they have no ALS members at this time. They are run out of FD so they can't 3rd party bill hence the are broke.

So here is my dilema. They are broke and I can certainly understand that. I wouldn't want the community to be without an ambulance or have to rely on mutual aid. But their truck is in bad shape. First it was the muffler that was bad. It was creating a problem in the back so that you really couldn't hear anything. Well now the AC in the patient compartment is not working. Here it's a dealine issue. I don't want to turn them in but they can't continue to roll that truck till they fix it. And it's the only truck they have. Plus we have been having a heat wave. One of our crews last week took the patient out of their rig and loaded them in ours because it was too hot. They are good people and I know they are doing the best then can but what do we do when it's 90 and there is no AC in the patient compartment?

Any opinions would be appreciated.

BTW I don't have to turn them in things spread like wild fire around here the ems coordinators will know about it soon enough.

 

[TTLWHKR]

Idk how it works in your state, but in the Comm. Of PA; if the AC doesn't work.. that unit is not fit for service. The ability to heat and cool the patient compartment is necessary for the treatment of the patient, more so than people realize.

Too bad there aren't any grants available so needy services could procure a new ambulance, where as the fire service is handed grants for 1 million dollar apparatus that many do not even need.

When you can't get the cash for free, do what every other service does in this position. Fundraise.. Get a loan.. Buy a used ambulance.. Your back in business.

 

[aristigal]

yeah here it's a "dealine" or "part 800" issue which means the truck is oos till it's fixed which is where the dilema is. I wish they could get some grants or something too. I am moving out there in a month or so and I would join their squad but I don't really want to be associated with a place that is ate up like they are. The next closest one to my new house is a BLS service. That would be quite the demotion.

 

[MMiz]

The private service I work for usually has older rigs that are kept in case something goes wrong with one of the ones in service. When those two were in service, I heard they had no choice but to run a BLS rig without AC. The situation wasn't pretty, especially with our dialysis regulars, and you can bet the crew complained, but what else could they do?

Since then we've gotten a new ALS mod so things aren't so bad. But an ambulance is an ambulance no?

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by TTLWHKR@Jun 15 2005, 04:37 PM
Idk how it works in your state, but in the Comm. Of PA; if the AC doesn't work.. that unit is not fit for service. The ability to heat and cool the patient compartment is necessary for the treatment of the patient, more so than people realize.

Too bad there aren't any grants available so needy services could procure a new ambulance, where as the fire service is handed grants for 1 million dollar apparatus that many do not even need.

When you can't get the cash for free, do what every other service does in this position. Fundraise.. Get a loan.. Buy a used ambulance.. Your back in business.

I've seen this too many times. My one Vollie squad refuses to take a rig W/O heat / A/C out of service totally, they just make it "last out" which means that when the squad goes to 5th call, it is the only rig left, and is taken by vollies from home.

I've turned down trucks working transport if the A/C was bad.... twice i was in trucks that never had the Heat vs A/C switch thrown in spring, and was able to have my boss (at the remote hospital base) send me back to the garage to have the mechanics 'Fix it NOW" Gotta love a boss who will do what his field providers need.

In my mind, the only excuse to have a truck without A/C is that the A/C just failed, on THAT CALL... after that, you are OOS untill repaired.

As much as their being OOS would be bad, what about someone getting sicker in the back of thier crappy rig?

 

[aristigal]

Well aparently they got it fixed. NYS DOH says 90 or newer they have to have AC before 90 they don't.

 

[PArescueEMT]

i don't like the fact that different manufacturers offer the ability to kill the heat or the a/c. you should be able to have both. isn't it highly possibly to have a hypothermia Pt. in the middle of summer... you need the heat for them. and the opposit is true in the winter... LOL at home thinks that it's cold in her house... sets the heater to 100 and puts on a couple of sweaters and a jacket? the heat and A/C are treatment tools as well as comfort. If they don't work, they don't move. That's my opinion

 

[CodeSurfer]

Oh boy did the AC come in handy today... it was soo hot and we were in the freakin desert. If we didnt have it I woulda passed out I think.

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by aristigal@Jun 17 2005, 02:46 AM
Well aparently they got it fixed. NYS DOH says 90 or newer they have to have AC before 90 they don't.

Ummm..... you are treating the same patients.... shouldn't the equipment be standardized?

 

[CodeSurfer]

No, you only take the patients that dont need their temp controlled in the old rigs.