Voluntary Services

[Doobles999]

Do you peeps over the pond have any voluntary services? SJA, RX?

If so, in what capacity do they operate?

Wikipedia - St John Ambulance

St John Ambulance

British Red Cross

[EMT857]

There are hundreds of volunteer services over here, it all depends in what area your asking about.

The service Im on runs about 1200 or a year, but in my town/most of county, BLS is volunteer

[xselerate]

Here in NYC you've got volunteer services (they don't get dispatched to 911 calls, but if in the area of one they can pick it up) and you have voluntary services (hospitals that are part of the 911 system and respond to 911 calls with the city FD ambulances).

[SSG G-man]

In my county about 90% of EMS services are Volunteer. We have some paid paramedic crews to ensure ALS support.

System works well where I am because the majority of the county is rural, and the paid crews are based in the more urban area so thry can cover the area.

[Ridryder 911]

In my area there are a few volunteer EMS, EMS is usually professional and the Fire Departments are volunteer. Dependent of course on the population of the community.

R/R 911

[als_medic_uk]

In london we have voluntary ALS and BLS, which are dispatched to 999 [911] calls, and operate at public occasions [such as football matches]. Whilst I am currently reading medicine, at weekends, when possible I volunteer with the local ALS unit. As I previously [prior to reading medicine] worked for the London Ambulance Service.

Regards

[06weasel]

Around here (suburban/semi-rural PA) it's mostly volunteer BLS, paid ALS. The companies I know well have paid staff during the day, and volunteer runs night (except ALS units, they're paid night). One company uses ALS ambulances (2 during the day, 1 ALS 1 BLS during the night), handles ~2000 calls a year. The other is in a slightly more urban setting (All BLS with ALS chase units dispatched out of a nearby hospital) at ~3000 calls a year.

[NYAEMT-I]

Where I am in Upstate NY, our squads are mostly Volunteer with ALS and BLS. Most of us have Paid day crews that are ALS though...

Drive safe, drink milk

NYAEMT-I

[tinman694]

Guess we are wierd then...We are a volunteer Fire Department and ALS service (Although we have gone to a 'pay per call' setup--10 Bucks Per Run)

Anyone else in TV Land have something like that?

[Doobles999]

Whilst I am currently reading medicine

Until my brain clicked in, I had images of someone picking up bottles of medicine and reading the lables... :?

So most of the rural work is unpaid in US? What do you do as regular jobs?