ARE WE A FIRE DEPARTMENT OR A EMS DEPARTMENT OR BOTH??

AS FOLLOWERS OF LOOSE TOPICS YOU KNOW THAT OUR POSTS HAVE SLOWED DOWN FOR MULTIPLE REASONS. NOW WHEN WE WRITE A POST IT IS USUALLY BECAUSE SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT SOMETHING. SO I AM SURE YOU ARE WONDERING WHAT TODAY'S POST IS ABOUT? WELL FROM THE TITLE OF THE POST YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH GATHER WHAT IT IS ABOUT...

ARE WE A FIRE DEPARTMENT OR A EMS DEPARTMENT OR ARE WE BOTH??

THIS SEEMS LIKE SUCH A EASY QUESTION TO ANSWER, HELL JUST LOOK AT OUR UNIFORM. IT SAYS RIGHT THERE FIRE DEPARTMENT. 

BUT IF WE ARE HONEST WITH OURSELVES AND WITH EACH OTHER, WE KNOW THAT 80 TO 85 PERCENT OF ALL OF OUR CALLS ARE EMS IN NATURE. SO DOES THAT MAKE US A EMS DEPARTMENT? NOT REALLY, BUT IT DOES TELL US THAT WE MUST START ALLOCATING OUR RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL FOR WHAT WE DO THE MOST OF. THIS ISN'T A NEW CONCEPT, THERE ARE MANY CITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT ARE DOING JUST THIS. 

WE ALL KNOW THAT WE ARE FACING BUDGET ISSUES, STAFFING ISSUES, FACILITY ISSUES AND NONE OF THOSE ISSUES ARE GOING TO GET ANY BETTER ANYTIME SOON. SO WHAT DO WE DO? WELL WE WORK WITH WHAT WE GOT AND WE MAKE WHAT WE HAVE WORK BEST FOR US, IN THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY. OK WELL HOW YOU ASK? WE WILL GET THERE...

WHAT IF YOU PUT AMBULANCES AT STATIONS THAT CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE FIRE ENGINES? WHAT IF THOSE CREWS EITHER TOOK THE ENGINE OR THE AMBULANCE DEPENDING ON THE CALL? THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A SECOND, A LOT OF OUR CALLS ROLL A ENGINE CO. OR TRUCK CO. WHICH ARRIVES FIRST ON SCENE. THIS IS TRUE JUST CHECK THE RESPONSE TIMES. THE AMBULANCE USUALLY ARRIVES ON SCENE 3 TO 4 MINUTES AFTER THE ENGINE/TRUCK CO. 

NOW WE RUN ALS SERVICE ON ALL OUR APPARATUSES, SO THIS MEANS THAT THERE WILL BE AT LEAST ONE PARAMEDIC ON EVERY ENGINE, TRUCK, AND AMBULANCE. MOST OF OUR ENGINES/TRUCKS HAVE MULTIPLE PARAMEDICS DUE TO OUR CONTRACT STATES WE MUST CARRY OUR PATCH FOR SO MANY YEARS, AS WELL AS MOST CAPTAINS AND ENGINEERS KEEP THEIR PARAMEDIC PATCHES BECAUSE THEY WILL NEED IT FOR FURTHER PROMOTIONS.

SO NOW YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE PARAMEDICS ON SCENE 3 TO 4 MINUTES FASTER THEN THE AMBULANCE ALREADY. THESE UNITS ALREADY CARRY MOST OF ALL THE DRUGS THE AND EQUIPMENT THAT THAT AMBULANCE HAS ON IT, THE ONLY THING THESE ENGINES/TRUCKS CAN NOT DO IS TRANSPORT. BUT IF WE PLACED A AMBULANCE AT THESE STATIONS WHERE THERE IS ONLY A ENGINE OR TRUCK, WHEN THAT EMS CALL CAME IN THAT CREW(OR AT LEAST THE 2 PARAMEDICS) WOULD JUMP INTO THE AMBULANCE ARRIVE QUICKLY TREAT AND TRANSPORT THAT PATIENT AT LEAST 3 TO 4 MINUTES FASTER. AND WE ALL KNOW THAT TIME IS MUSCLE, OR WE SHOULD?

RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 9 STATIONS THAT HOUSE FULL TIME AMBULANCES. WE HAVE 17 STATIONS, SO JUST OVER HALF OF OUR STATIONS ARE STAFFED WITH AMBULANCE. THE PROBLEM LIES IN THAT WE RUN OUT OF AMBULANCES MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY EVERY SHIFT. AS IT IS NOW WE USE VOLUNTEER AMBULANCES TO HELP CARRY THE LOAD OF CALLS THIS CITY SEES. (THIS IS A WHOLE OTHER ISSUE THAT I WILL NOT GET INTO RIGHT NOW).

WHAT IF WE COULD HAVE 17 FULL TIME AMBULANCES? NOW THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT THOSE EXTRA 8 AMBULANCES ARE ALWAYS RUNNING, BUT WHAT IT DOES MEAN IS THAT OUR RESPONSE TIMES WOULD DROP SIGNIFICANTLY, OUR TRANSPORT TIMES WOULD DECREASE, AND WE WOULD BE USING OUR PERSONNEL IN THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY POSSIBLE.

THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA HAS IMPLEMENTED THIS ALREADY AND HERE IS THE REASON THEY DID SO. BECAUSE THEIR MEDICAL CALLS FAR OUTWEIGHED THEIR FIRE CALLS (SOUND FAMILIAR). THEY RESPONDED TO 119,500 CALLS LAST YEAR, WITH 85,000 OF THOSE BEING MEDICAL CALLS (SOUND FAMILIAR). OF THE REMAINING CALLS 800 WERE STRUCTURE FIRE CALLS, BUT ONLY 300 WERE SERIOUS ACCORDING TO THEIR CHIEF. THIS IS USING HIS RESOURCES TO FIT WHAT HIS DEPARTMENT IS..

IF YOU HAVE A CALL WHERE TIME TO A HOSPITAL MATTERS AND YOU HAVE A ENGINE CO. ON SCENE TREATING THE PATIENT(S) WITH PARAMEDICS ALREADY BUT THEY ARE WAITING ON A AMBULANCE TO SHOW UP EITHER BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL TIED UP OR BECAUSE THE CLOSEST ONE IS 12-15 MINUTES AWAY, YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF ARE WE USING ARE PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES IN THE BEST WAY THAT OUR CITIZENS DESERVE? 

IF YOU HAD THAT SAME CALL AND HAD THAT AMBULANCE IN WAITING YOU COULD HAVE THAT ENGINE/TRUCK (NON PARAMEDIC DRIVES THIS) AND AMBULANCE (2 PARAMEDICS FROM THE ENGINE/TRUCK CO. DRIVE THIS) SHOW UP AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. THIS SPEEDS UP TIME TO HOSPITAL WHICH IS WHAT CURES MOST PEOPLE...  

THIS IDEA IS NOT POPULAR WITH EVERYONE. PEOPLE WILL SAY WELL THAT IF YOU HAVE THAT CREW OUT OF SERVICE DUE TO MAKING THAT CALL AND HALF OF THE CREW NOW TRANSPORTING TO A HOSPITAL, AND A STRUCTURE FIRE COMES IN THAT AREA THAT UNIT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RESPOND. WELL THE TRUTH IS YOU CAN "WHAT IF" ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING TO DEATH!! THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT FIRE CALLS ARE ON THE DOWN SLOPE DUE TO BETTER PREVENTION, BETTER ALERT SYSTEMS, AND BETTER EDUCATION. EMS CALLS ARE ON THE UP SLOPE BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF PREVENTION, LACK OF PERSONAL HEALTH CARE. SO WE MUST TAKE CARE OF WHAT IS KICKING OUR BUTTS NOW...

MUST WE BE READY AND PREPARED FOR WHEN A STRUCTURE FIRE COMES IN, ABSOLUTELY. MUST WE USE OUR PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES IN THE MOST EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO BATTLE THE TYPE OF CALLS WE ARE MAKING THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME, ABSOLUTELY!!

IS THIS THE ANSWER, I DON'T KNOW. IS IT A WAY TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WITH OUR PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES, THAT I DO KNOW IT IS. 

SO I ASK YOU THE QUESTION AGAIN, AND I REALLY HOPE YOU SHARE YOU THOUGHTS WITH ME, ARE WE A FIRE DEPARTMENT OR ARE WE A EMS DEPARTMENT OR ARE WE BOTH? ARE WE USING OUR PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES IN THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT WAY POSSIBLE?

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ARTICLE IN FIREHOUSE.COM THAT SPEAKS ABOUT THE JACKSONVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT JACKSONVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT CHANGES TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT