What Fire Depts run EMS? Do yours???

[TruckSixFF]

Do your Depts run ems with your engine/truck companies? Do you provide BLS, or ALS response? My dept has 23 ALS engines, and 9 ALS truck companies, each with 1 paramedic on the rigs each shift. Also does your FD also transport with an BLS/ALS ambo or do you contract a private to transport for you? We run about 55,000+ EMS calls with 12 (adding 4 more ALS medic units May 1st) ALS Medic Units, and 23 engines and 9 trucks. We send an ALS Medic Unit, and an ALS engine/truck on all ems calls excpet Pt. assists. We also average about 2 fires a day in the city, so we also catch a good amount of fire, on top of shootings, stabbings, tons of drunks and drug addicts....we are not the greatest area.

[FyredUp]

My career FD runs 3 ALS ambulances and a BLS ambulance. If Paramedic staffing is down one of the ALS ambulances may be downgraded to either a PFR or a BLS ambulance. All engines, quints and the truck are BLS staffed and equipped. On a day when we are paramedic heavy we will run one or more of the suppression rigs as a PFR rig.

The only time we ever use privates is for mass casualty or if mutual aid is not available from neighboring FD's.

[TruckSixFF]

Do you work for North-Shore FPD WI by any chance? Also what is a PBR rig?

[FyredUp]

Do you work for North-Shore FPD WI by any chance? Also what is a PBR rig?

No not North Shore FD.

PFR=Paramedic First Responder

[TruckSixFF]

No not North Shore FD.

PFR=Paramedic First Responder

Ok cool thanks.

[mrpita]

Well, I'll reply, but be advised ours is a kinda screwed up system.

We ran 220,000+ EMS calls last year. (We call them "shoe runs".) Yes, all engines/ladders are first responders, staffed with at least (1) EMT-B. (No ALS first responders.) 56 engines, 27 ladders. We run 50 ambulances, 14 are BLS (9 Full time, 5 part time - day shift only) the remainder are ALS (I think 10 of these are part time.) Our ALS squads are usually two medics, but at least one EMT/FF and a medic. Additionally we have two field EMCOs (Medic Lts.) that respond by SOPs to certain calls such as entrapment.

We don't always send a first responder. The rules we have are so convoluted I've not seen them in print, and I don't think our dispatchers have either. Basically, if the first due medic is ALS and available, they get sent alone, unless it is a code blue, incident is down in subway/up on el, or about a hundred other exceptions. If it's the second or third due medic, or if the first due is a BLS, then you need a oujia board, full set of tarot cards, and witch doctor to know who's going.

Our engines ran 71,000+ shoe runs last year. Our ladders ran 12,000+ (high number for us; last year was probably 8,000) They closed five engines, leaving five single ladder houses. Engines are "preferred" as first responders; tradition has it they'll run from call to call to call and try to leave the ladder stay in station. Those five ladders now don't have that luxury. Our medics (all 50 + 2 EMCOs) ran 265,000+ runs. All told, for 220,000 runs we had 350,000+ pieces going out the door.

For comparison, we ran almost 48,000 fire runs last year. For them we had almost 98,000 pieces going out the door. How many fires/day we see depends on what you count as a fire.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, one widely used estimate is that 80% or more of our shoe runs are BS.

[pasobuff]

On a (slightly) smaller scale here.....

My local VFD does run EMS - the 'rescue' (pickup chassis with box) responds on calls. Many members are EMTs, and we also have a Medic, who, while he responds with limited gear, can and does assist with the (usually as far as I know) ALS ambulance. The ambulance is kind of regional - the VAC was absorbed into the paid EMS a few years ago - a result of diminishing membership.....not sure how many runs per year, but definitely more than fire calls. The other VFD's around me also run EMS response - same ambulance company or another private contracted one provides transport.

I live in primarily farm country, it is not uncommon to have a 10-20 minute wait for the ambulance to actually arrive once dispatched. All depends on where the ambulance is coming from.

From my house to the closest hospital is about a 16 mile drive - a good 25 minutes in decent conditions.....to get to a Trauma Center is about an hour drive.....

One 'advantage' we have is that Med-Flight has a helicoptor stationed about 3 miles (maybe 2 as the crow flies) from my house - last time I had a trip to the ER I actually had my Mom pull in there since I knew there was a medic on site.....

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

My FD responds to EMS calls and have been for over 50 years.

We began responding to "inhalator calls" back in the early 1950's when the first resuscitators were placed into service on the Engine companies

Approximately 95% of the MFD are EMT-Bs, three members are EMT-P. The other 5% are certified first responders, and they sit in on EMS classes to maintain their levl of training.

Each piece of apparatus is equipped with a medical bag, including the support vehicles, and each frontline piece of apparatus also carries an AED.

We have a private ambulance service providing ALS service and transports, with 2 ALS ambulances stationed at their base in the Central district. A third ALS ambulance can be called if necessary, and we also have the surrounding town's FD based ambulances as resources.

Medical calls are handled by the Engine companies in their districts, the Rescue handles simultaneous medical calls. We have even had the Ladder companies handle medicals if the Engines and Rescue are tied up at incident.

[hwoods]

Like Gonz, we've been at this for a while. Our VFD was founded on April 11th, 1928, my Grandfather was one of the Charter Members and their first Treasurer, along with one of my uncles who was the First Secretary. On July 15th, 1929 the Glenn Dale Fire Association expanded to include Rescue and First Aid Services and began operating Prince George's County's Second Ambulance. Unlike many places, we Did NOT take over from a Hospital or Funeral Home Ambulance Service, there was nothing existing at that time. We've maintained an "EMS" Operation continiously since then, Starting with a 1927 Dodge Ambulance, and continuing today with 1998 and 2009 PL Custom Ambulances. Our First Year's run total is lost to posterity, but it should have been less than Fifty. 2009's Runs were around 2,000.

[ChiefKN]

My VFD only runs for rescues and lift assists. At one time we had a handful of EMTs, a Paramedic and 2 RN's on the VFD.

The local Volunteer EMS was founded as a separate entity by firefighters from my department. A little fact that is often overlooked by the current EMS folks.

[voyager9]

Here we have separate fire and EMS organizations. EMS Organization provides BLS and transport. County-wide hospital-based ALS (non-transport). Fire provides some BLS/FR for some BLS calls as well as second/third-rig when the EMS units are tied up. All fire apparatus have EMS bags and AED's. All members have at least CPR, a good number have EMT-B.

Basically if the ambulance is tied up then Fire is dispatched to provide initial contact/care until it is free or until mutual aid is called in.

We used to run a lot more EMS runs then we do now. They reworked the criteria a few years ago. Used to be any ALS call also got an EMS engine and 90% of the time you'd have the Engine and Ambulance puppy-dogging down the road together. Now we're used for priority calls like cardiac/respiratory or if the ambulance isn't available. That cut the "duplication" down significantly to situations where it's actually beneficial to the residents.

[Acklan]

We have 19 engines and 9 ladders that all run EMS. All members hired after 1996 are EMT-B or high, and everyone else is at least first responder. We have AEDs and BLS\O2 kits on all apparatus, and are in the trial phase of evaluating the Zoll AutoPulse. We run 30,000 call annually.
The parish (county to everyone else) has a stand alone EMS (EMS of EBR) service, which runs with 2 or 3 paramedics depending on available manpower. The also run several sprint truck to supplement transport units during peak load. The also usually have a paramedic student, who is a certified EMT-B, on the unit.
There is a private ambulance service that we also respond with when requested (AASI).
We have run EMS since 1925, when our department transitioned to a full time career department.
On a typical EMS call we have 6 to 8 responders on scene. On wrecks and rescue calls it usually runs more than 10 responder on the initial response. That does not include LE, who usually show up also.

[Jasper 45]

The department here actually took over as the sole EMS provider in the early 1980’s, from the police department, of all places.
All members hired after 1 JAN 1986 are required to be an EMT as a condition of employment.

The department operates off of what is called a “tiered-response” matrix, and is tiered based off of caller information.
All engine and truck companies will respond on a first response basis, and are the core of our triage style of system. The goal here is to have help at your doorstep inside of four minutes of 9-1-1 being called. As time has gone by, and the system has evolved, we have let the private companies have more of a role in BLS first response.
The department provides no BLS transport, and depends entirely on the private companies for that detail.

All ALS service is provided by the department, thru twelve med rigs. The goal in this system is to keep the med rigs available for where they are needed. As such, the med rigs never respond alone. A BLS company, be it an engine or truck will always be dispatched with a paramedic unit. This allows professional help to be on scene inside of four minutes, perform a rapid triage and determine what type of transport unit, if any, is needed. This allows the med rig to be placed back in service quicker, or allows private to get moving, since the privates take so much longer to get there.

Several years ago, the paramedic program was expanded to allow paramedics to ride engine companies in an ALS capability. The department tries to keep about half of our engines staffed as PFR companies, but with the brown outs and cuts, that has been significantly cut.

Paramedic here is treated as more of a promotion. Applications are solicited from the rank and file, and a written exam is conducted along with interviews.
Once licensed as a paramedic, that member earns five percent over a non-med in their pay grade.

[Send in the Hook]

Medic Unit Run Totals for 2009 last updated 1/13/10 to highlight Mr. Pitas point about a broken system.

M08 9011 * M21 5384
M25 8626 M11 5336
M02 8593 M06 4702
M22 8508 M43 4519 *
M04 8222 * M39 4408 **
M24 8019 M31 4393 **
M09 7767 * M20 4201
M07 7673 M05 3762
M13 7657 M36 3751 **
M03 7635 M28 3660 **
M18 7429 M29 3533 **
M42 7198 * M35 3434 **
---------- M26 3401 **
M32 7171 M34 3328 **
M15 7154 M40 3186 **
M23 7134 M38 3093 **
M14 7634 * M27 2870 **
M12 6546 M33 2824 **
M45 6441 * M47 2153 *
M01 6395 M30 1699 +
M19 6190 M49 1387 *
M16 6161 M48 1314 *
M10 6100 M50 1275 *
M41 6011 * M46 1124 *
M17 5986 M51 156 *
M37 5546 M52 125 *
M44 5498 *

* Denotes BLS ambulances (ALL FFs detailed to medic unit)
Some in service 24/7/365
Some in service 0800-1800 M-F
Some in service when manpower permits or circumstances dictate
** Denotes ALS ambulances in service 0800-2000 daily
+ Denotes ALS ambulance in service 24hrs dedicated to International Airport
All others are ALS ambulances in service 24/7/365


Ok...my graph didnt work but Im not re-typing

[Bones42]

FD - no EMS.

Separate vol EMS agency that handles ~1500 calls per year, including dive team and extrication.

FD is usually called when there is extrication to provide a safety line and handle any vehicle fluid spills.

[FireMedic049]

No EMS for us currently other than the occasional lift assist or needing to provide care before the ambulance arrives at an MVA.

We proposed initiating a limited BLS first responder program last year, but the administration shot it down since there would be a cost associated with it.

[ScareCrow57]

We provide a first response BLS. About 150 calls a year. The ambulance service either beats us to the scene or is about 30 seconds behind. That is unless it is for a snowmobile crash on the ice and it is 20 below. Seems it takes them longer in cold weather.

[pasobuff]

We provide a first response BLS. About 150 calls a year. The ambulance service either beats us to the scene or is about 30 seconds behind. That is unless it is for a snowmobile crash on the ice and it is 20 below. Seems it takes them longer in cold weather.

Is that GAVAC up there also or another service?

[LaFireEducator]

Our department is built around EMS delivery as it's 85% of our runs.

Typical year we will do 1400 calls.

Currently 2 of our 3 shift personnel are paramedics, as well as the career Deputy Chief. EMTB is a minimum of any career staff.

The majority of our volunteer personnel are EMS certified. We have 8-10 volunteer paramedics, with the remainder being EMT of First Fesponder.

A parish EMS medic unit is housed at our Central Station. We man the parish EMS backup unit housed at our station when requested.

We run on all EMS calls in the district. The majority of the time we put a paramedic on-scene.

In the northern part of our district, volunteer personnel will arrive 3-8 minutes before EMS unit and paid staff from Central. If a parish unit other than the one from Central responds, which is quite common, volunteers and or shift personnel can arrive up to 15 minutes before the arrival of the responding medic unit.

The parish EMS service actually started here back in the 80's. For several years, we had 1 of the only 3 ambulance services in the parish. In the 90's, the service'e were shut down and a parish wide tax-funded took over.

[fieldseng2]

ALL 29 Engine Co., 5 Ladder Co., and both squads are 1st responder companies. We have 14 ALS transport ambulances. Currently, personnel assigned to the medic units are non-suppression personnel, but suppression personnel may work overtime, or be "pulled" to work on a medic unit for a portion of their regular shift.

Our current Chief of Department does have plans for ALS engine companies, and more persoonel to be crossed trained to work on the medic units.

The StLFD responds to over 63,000 EMS runs a year.