Shortage of volunteers adds to woes

[JetPhoto 626]

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Shortage of volunteers adds to woes

By John Davis

Poughkeepsie Journal

Communities are coming to rely more and more on professional ambulance services due to the decline in volunteers on their local rescue squads.

Several fire departments have terminated their rescue squad operations in the past few years due to lack of volunteer emergency medical technicians. Increased job demands and more time spent on the road commuting to work have contributed to this decrease.

The shortage is driving an increase in the cost of ambulance service to communities, prompting them to consider sharing these expenses with neighboring communities by forming consortiums or regional ambulance systems.

A key factor in the decline of local volunteers was the reduction of the work force at IBM in Poughkeepsie and East Fishkill in the early 1990s, said David Ping, vice president for strategic planning and business development at Health Quest, the Poughkeepsie-based health-care system. The company was very flexible in allowing its employees who were volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians to leave work and respond to emergencies.

"IBM was a big advocate of volunteers," said Marc Reina, general manager of Alamo Ambulance Service.

Many who lost their IBM jobs are now working at places that do not allow them the same freedom to take off when they are notified of an emergency.

"A lot of people are working extra jobs," Reina said.

Dwindling numbers

Roosevelt Fire Department Chief Bill Steenbergh said he has seen a dwindling of volunteers in its firefighter and rescue squad, mostly among those in their 20s and 30s.

"People are working multiple jobs to keep up with the rising cost of living," he said. "They are spending more time with their families."

The Hyde Park Fire Department recently eliminated its rescue squad due to lack of volunteers. Six months ago the Staatsburg Fire District did the same thing and for the same reason. Residents of the districts were notified Northern Dutchess Paramedics would provide all ambulance service.

While the Roosevelt Fire District is continuing to provide rescue service for another section of the Town of Hyde Park, the chief sees the writing on the wall.

"There will be a day when the Roosevelt district will not have a volunteer ambulance service," Steenbergh said.

With the loss of the rescue squads, residents lose a service that only costs them when they pay their fire taxes. The Roosevelt fire tax rate this year is $2.11 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

Roosevelt has an agreement with Alamo to provide advanced life support. The ambulance firm directly bills each patient's medical insurance company. Those who are underinsured or without insurance are responsible for paying the bill.

First responders

The loss of a rescue squad is more than about cutting cost. The volunteers are members of a tier of first responders, who, because they live locally, can be the first to reach someone who has been injured or is very ill.

"That's why the role of the rescue squad is so important," Steenbergh said. "You need your neighbor coming out and providing immediate care."

The Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response is working with communities to coordinate ambulance service. This includes ensuring there is a tiered system of first responders and advanced life support providers.

Howard Adams, emergency medical services coordinator for Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, said first responders can be police officers, volunteer firefighters or even qualified members of the county department of public works.

"If we lose our first responders, we will save no lives in those areas," Adams said. "It's key, absolutely key, the first responders have to be there."

The first responders can provide first aid and comfort the patient before an ambulance arrives, providing advanced life support.

This is what happened a little more than one year ago to Hyde Park resident Joseph Strong, who fell in his house and fractured his left hip.

Strong, who lives in the Roosevelt Fire District, called 911 on his phone.

First to arrive were volunteers with the rescue squad.

"They looked to see what was wrong," Strong said. "I was sitting on the edge of the bed."

The Roosevelt volunteers stayed with Strong until an Alamo ambulance crew arrived, put him on a stretcher, carried him to the vehicle and took him to Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck.

Reach John Davis at jpdavis@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4807.

[ex-commish 490]

It's the sign of the times...

[helicopper 1,050]

It's the sign of the times...

Which times - sounds like the articles in the 1980's in the Journal News "Where you live could cost your life" and the 1990's series by NY Newsday on the Island about the same thing.

The problems aren't new - there are just no solutions that people want to hear and implement. It costs money to provide a quality service (whether the responders are paid or not) and most municipalities try to do EMS on the cheap or leave it to someone else to provide.

Same old story...

[RWC130 594]

I give the agencies credit for admitting they have a problem and taking steps

to correct the problem.

Additional recruitment of volunteers or hire a paid service.

As they say "If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem"

It's time egos are put a side and the public who YOU serve are put First!

[MerlinMedic 5]

This is an other well balanced article. It brings up several important areas for thought.

First: the loss of volunteers is not isolated to the Hudson Valley. It is going on all over. Mohwak Valley, Schoharie Calley are just 2 places that come to mind.

Second: What to do? Some towns like Pawling & Hyde Park are buying services from an NDP, Alamo or MLSS. But, as medics are scarce, what do areas without the tax base do? A small town on Columbia County's border just does not have the money or the need for a 24/7 ALS ambulance at half a million dollars per year.

County wide EMS? What are the tax payers going to say? If they are like me, I complain my taxes are too high already.

Issues of politics: there are municpalities in this State where you do not work if you are with the wrong political party. What about peronal politics? There are some people that have built a private kingdom as a county coordinator. While I don't see that the case in Dutchess, it is an important concern here asthe rest of NY will be looking at what solutions Dutchess comes up with.

There are several models on how to provide EMS. There is the REMO model. Municple ALS (Albany Fire, Schenctady Fire) with private transport (Mohwak, Capital District) and the total municple model like Troy & Colonie & the Guilderland model of the vollies still run paid BLS, but they are really an other flavor of total municple. These systems work, but are costly.

Dutchess is different, more pay as you go. But for the small rural areas? Then what? DOn't have your AMI there 'cause the medic is 30 minutes away?

I hope this discussion keeps going in the media & in town halls. After all, I am not 20 anymore! :angry: