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Why should fire and ems be separate?


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Here in Florida, the majority of our fire departments also have rescue ( ambulances).

We also have several private ambulance companies through out the state, only

a few of them actually do 911 calls, the rest cover the nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and hospital discharges, and whatever else comes their way.

Coming from a fire/rescue area it is all I have known for the most part, and I have never noticed any problems with our systems here.

Ive researched alot of the states statistics and they are usually pretty good, along with that you never hear people complain about ems and fire being together.

On the other hand I hear constant complaining from the majority of the northern ems personnel I talk to, whether it be people on vacation here or people on this site.

So I pose the question of why is it such a problem, why do fire and ems not want to work together, for the most part in the northern states.

Two things i've learned is as a team we can get alot further, and the only constant is change. So to those of you who work in the states where ems and fire are not combined, and you think they should stay that why, please explain why you feel that way.

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EMSers dont want to fight fires

FFers dont want to do EMS

For those of us stuck in between, who gives a crap :D

I work for a private EMS service in centralish florida and work along side some major fire departments. The biggest problem I see if the Fire Fighters not wanting to do EMS and bitching about it. They knew when they joined the FD that they WERE going to be doing EMS and since 75%(or more) of calls these days are EMS I dont think it would be a bad idea to make Paramedic mandatory and slash the EMT's. Hell some departments are allready switching to Paramedic/Fire Fighters instead of Fire Fighter/Paramedics.

My little bit, havea nice day.

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Sorry unable to confirm that but can confirm that the dust blows in Texas.

Last I heard, Dust wasn't in Texas. I know he was in Florida last weekend. Perhaps California with his lady?

Either way, I don't know that he "blows" much at all. Unless he has some strange balloon fetish. In that case, I don't want to know.

Now, if you had said Kansas, or Nebraska, or any other of the "rectangle" midwestern states I'd have believed you. :D

-be safe

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The problem with fire and EMS in areas other than yours (where it seems to work ok- the exception and not the rule for most of us in terms of combined experience) is that many firefighters are *forced* to become EMT's or paramedics and do a terrible job because that's not where their yen is. There are also great EMT's or paramedics who are forced to become firefighters who do a terrible or unsafe job because that's not where their yen is.

The IAFF supports combining fire and EMS because it means their firefighters will always have a job... and it holds EMS back as a profession because they try to keep educational standards low enough for those who don't give a crap to pass because they have to in order to be able to keep their jobs...

You see how resentment could build?

Ask me about Aurora Fire and Rural Metro here in CO in PM if you want a first hand look at that system working very badly...

Wendy

CO EMT-B

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