I normally wouldn't post something like this but I think the issue of an ems/fire merger and a cut to our budgets is really getting lost in all the talk of libraries/port land etc. That coupled with a massive campaign of misinformation by the national/local fire union really made me want to post something.
Anywhooo, the city's paramedics are asking you to go here:
http://paramedicsputpatientsfirst.ca/?page_id=26
It's a quick petition we will be sending out, any personal emails to councilors and the mayor would also be appreciated. There's also some good reading on there regarding the stuff we do.
Essentially, the number of paramedics in the city has not risen since amalgamation, in and around 800-850 taking into account attrition. This despite the fact that the population is growing, as well as an ever aging population. Our response times for calls flagged as 'low priority' are skyrocketing and it is no longer unusual for medics to be going an entire shift without any sort of break. It is also no longer unusual to have zero available ambulances in the city.
If this weren't bad enough, we now have the fire department, telling councilors that they are 'practically paramedics', which is frankly insulting and misleading. While I respect the work they are trained to do, a firefighter only has a couple weeks of medical training. The paramedics in this city have 2yrs college + 600hrs field training and you will also find most recruits have some sort of university degree. The fire union is petitioning the provincial government to lower the standard of pre-hospital care so they can call themselves paramedics.
It is the mandate of the fire union to back fire-based EMS systems because it is the only way to protect their jobs in a time of very few structural fires. Any municipality that has done this, medically has gone backwards.
Here are some fun-facts for you:
In less than 1% of TFD's calls did they do any sort of 'critical medical intervention'
60% of their call volume is a medical response which works out to 30% of TEMS' call volume.
Paramedics are arriving on scene ahead of fire in about 60% of the calls, even higher at night as the firefighters need to get out of bed first.
EMS response times start as soon as the call is received, fire response times don't start until the truck leaves the station.
Typically on a call, unless the patient is dead or very close to being so, the fire department is immediately cleared as we usually have no use for them. Literally the only thing they are used for on a medical call is to perform CPR, because it's easy and they're strong guys/gals. Again, less than 1% of calls. And yes, they have the ability to put on oxygen, but I find it's very hit or miss if they know when to actually use it.
Personally I don't think we need to gut the fire department here, but the reality is medical emergencies are much more prevalent than fires, yet EMS only has a fraction of the budget compared to fire. All we are suggesting is a redistribution of the budget to more accurately reflect the facts. The proposed 10% cut would just about cripple us.
Sorry for the long-winded post, but I thought this was rather important to get out there and as a long time lurker I know there are some very politically active people on this board. It's difficult for us to get this info out, our numbers are puny compared to TFD, but we appreciate any help.