Fire based EMS

[paramedicmike]

Seen linked on another site:

http://www.cfsi.org/EMS_Coalition/emsadvoc...se_06_12_07.asp

Thoughts?

-be safe

[JPINFV]

The report was written by Dr. Franklin D. Pratt, Medical Director, Los Angeles County Fire Department; Dr. Steven Katz, Associate Medical Director, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue; and Dr. Paul Pepe, Riggs Family Chair in Emergency Medicine at Southwest Medical Center.

Members of the Fire Service-Based EMS Advocates Steering Committee include the Congressional Fire Services Institute, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Fighters, National Fire Protection Association and the National Volunteer Fire Council.

You mean a report produced by people involved with fire based EMS for a group advocating fire based EMS is going to support fire based EMS? Impossible.

[ericenglund]

Due to the training, expertise, and equipment of fire service-based EMS responders, they are capable of simultaneously securing a scene, mitigating the hazard, and triaging, extricating, treating, decontaminating (if necessary), and transporting the patients who have been injured to an appropriate medical facility

eh..

Disagree..."EMS based" EMS responders are just as capable. They call for FD when needed. Just like the FF/medics on the ambulance will call for the engine if they need it.

[Doczilla]

Nothing but idiotic propaganda cloaked with an air of legitimacy by attaching a couple of doctor's names to it. Notice the following:

1) No scientific evidence to support their claims

2) Written as though the fire service is and has always been the only way to provide EMS

3) No participation of any actual EMS agency in the report

4) References incidental to the argument, not integral to it

This one about had me on the floor (p 11):

"This type of universal coordination takes leadership, work, and the willingness to subordinate fire service prerogatives to those of the greater public need. "

Fire services have difficulty subordinating fire service perogatives to EMS TRAINING. Strange, since EMS calls comprise the majority of responses in any fire-based EMS system. Let alone subordinating fire service perogatives for anything else.

I have an idea about what to do with this little piece of literature, and if I can run some Charmin Ultra through the inkjet printer, I know what I'm doing on my next day off.

'zilla

[JPINFV]

That reminds me. What the heck is LA County doing commenting on stuff like this? This was the same system that commented on the record that they could not and would not attempt to train their paramedics to interpret 12 lead ECGs.

[Dustdevil]

I have an idea about what to do with this little piece of literature, and if I can run some Charmin Ultra through the inkjet printer, I know what I'm doing on my next day off.

You're going to waste the good paper on this caca?

You think more highly of it than I do.

The IACP and FOP could have written the same thing and made it sound just as impressive (which isn't that much).

I'd like to see the national association for water system engineers (there must be one, right?) write a paper on why they are the logical choice to take over fire suppression duties nationwide. They could certainly make a much better argument than the above idiots just made.

[Doczilla]

You're going to waste the good paper on this caca?

You think more highly of it than I do.

Hey, it doesn't matter how HSLD you are. Still gotta wipe with the fluffy stuff.

'zilla

[FormerEMSLT297]

I especially like the question "What does a non-fire based EMS crew do on the scene of an MVA, when the car is engulfed in flames and occupants are trapped inside, and fire crews are not dispatched?"..... the EMS provider would need to request dispatch of a fire company...... further delaying care, and furhter increasing risk to rescuers and victims."....

Duhh,,,, if EMS wasn't fire based wouldn't the FD still go for a report of a "car engulfed in flames with or without occupants trapped.?????

I see NOTHING about the QUALITY of care , patient outcomes Pre-hospital arrest saves,, etc.....

Fascinating study....

I also love how they cite that " in 1937 a fire department ambulance in New York transported famous song writer Cole Porter to the hospital ....."

I'll need to check on the above statement, ,because to my knowledge, prior to the March 17, 1996 FDNY takeover of NYC*EMS, most ambulances in NYC were run by the public hospitals and some private hospitals,,, but NOT BY THE FDNY.

Maybe Richard B, can look tinto this for us.

I wipe my A%$ with this study,, tells us nothing excpet that a bunch of FD doc, like FD providing EMS..

[brentoli]

I think we need to look in to PD based EMS. Utility based fire.

Firemen wouldn't have to wait for the electric company to show up to move those lines off of the car!

Policemen wouldn't have to wait on the ambulance to arrive to pull out the taser prongs.

Everyone wins!

[Andrewtx]

Steven Katz, M.D.,

President, National Paramedic Institute

From the website of the National Paramedic Institute:

"The International Association of Fire Fighters and National Paramedic Institute have partnered to provide cutting edge online EMS Training to our country's heroes."

You don't suppose this has clouded his professional opinion, do you?