Pyroinvestigator

Would be nice if all these little towns would just give up their little kingdoms and consolidate for the betterment of the county. I know this is a crazy concept but it could be done over a short period of time. Seems like the mayors and chief's are dragging their feet cause no one wants to give up his little spot in the sandbox.

Note To efdcapt115 : The Pelham And Pelham Manor Career Staff Would Become Part Of FDNR Local 273 And The Pelham Manor Ladder Would Be A Quint So It Will Have The Ability To Put Water On A Fire Pending The Arrival Of Additional Engine Companies. There Is NO Hostility Towards Anyone Involved My Friend, Just A Suggestion That Westchester Has TOO Many Small Fire Departments That Are Hurting Financially And Could Do MUCH Better Consolidating With Larger Departments.

This is one of the top debates within the Tactical EMS community, and there are a few good arguements made on both sides as to which provider, a civilian EMT/Medic or a sworn Law Enforcement Officer, is better utilized to function as a TEMS provider. Each methodology has it's own pros and cons, and as NJMedic stated, it generally comes down to the individual team studying both options and going with the concept that is going to work for them. I'll try to give you some of the pros and cons of each concept.
Civilian EMS Providers as TEMS Providers
The Pros: Generally civilian EMS providers possess a stronger medical skillset then LEO's who are not regular practioners of prehospital emergency medicine. Prehospital medical providers are generally more comfortable and often more competent with providing prehospital medical care to individuals who are sick/injured. Because they already possess that skillset and that level of competency, medical training for experienced prehospital medical providers focuses on taking that knowledge of conventional prehospital medicine and applying it to an unconventional environment.
The Cons: One of the big cons is the liability of taking a civilian EMT/Medic and placing them in an austere, potentially violent environment where there is a higher likelihood of a violent encounter with an armed individual, which is completely the opposite of conventional EMS training and scene safety standards. The debate on whether to arm civilian providers is another that comes down to local jurisdictions and is an entire topic in it's own. Some civilian providers are an unarmed member of the team, leaving the medical provider defenseless in the event of a violent encounter. Generally these providers are offered basic firearms training and some range time to become familiar with the weapon platforms the tactical team they are supporting utilizes. Armed civilian providers generally attend some form of peace officer academy, similiar to becoming an armed auxiliary or part-time officer of the department they are working with. I could go on and on about this, but it's a whole different topic. One of the other big concerns for tactical teams is Operational Security (OPSEC). Generally tactical teams work under a heavy blanket of OPSEC so their operations remain covert until it is time for them to go operational. Usually the only individuals privy to an upcoming warrant execution are the members of the team. Even other sworn LEO's who are not associated with the tactical team are not made aware of the pending operation so the covert nature of the operation is not blown. Let's say the Tactical Commander contacts their civilian TEMS counterpart to advise them of the impending operation, and the civilian TEMS provider, who is not in the mindset of OPSEC, then posts all over his/her Facebook page about the "big hit" they're doing with the tactical team in the morning. This is a significant concern for tactical teams, and one of the reasons only certain individuals are privy to the details, even small details, of the impending operation. If the target of the hit is somehow tipped off, they can easily prepare for it, either by moving their operation to another location, or fortify their location and be ready to shoot it out with the team when they arrive.
Sworn Law Enforcement Officers as TEMS Providers
The Pros: Sworn LEO's assigned to Tactical teams are already trained in police tactics, weapon platforms, and are used to operating in an austere, violent tactical environment. Assigning a LEO to the stack provides the team with another gun; meaning another LEO who is an armed member of the team with arrest powers and all of the other powers provided to LEO's. One of the other pros is that LEO's in general have a slight amount of "distrust", and I use that term loosely, when it comes to individuals outside of the Law Enforcement community. By distrust I mean that you will often see LEO's associating with and hanging out with other LEO's, because of that mutual understanding of "the job". Now within the Law Enforcement community, LEO's assigned to Special Operations teams are a group within the group, and they often won't fully associate with other LEO's, even from their own department, the way they would with other members of their team. Now try taking a civilian, non-LEO TEMS provider, and placing them in the middle of this team and see how they're received. Every team is different, but it may take a while before they are welcomed into the team as a team member. A sworn-LEO provider also has earned some level of trust from the team simply because they're "on the job".
The Cons: Maintaining a strong skillset to be able to provide competent, complete, and correct medical care to a sick or injured individual. A LEO who does not regularly practice prehospital medicine will possess a weak skillset and be an incompetent provider, which is counter-productive to the operation. One of the other cons that can arise is confusion on the part of the LEO medical provider. Are they a TEMS provider first, or a Police Officer first?
There are just some of the basic arguements for which type of provider would be better suited for work on a tactical team as a medical provider. Obviously there is a whole lot more to be said for types of providers, levels and types of training, and so on.