Somers FD EMS-Another Step Towards Ensuring Adequate Staffing

[x635 4,066]

As of last week, I am hearing that Somers EMS is an unofficial paid on call agency. EMT's and Drivers get $10 per call, and attendants $5. Next spring, options are being explorered to having a fully staffed career ambulance in house for Somers EMS.

Anyone who can elaborate?

[99subi 121]

Either way sounds like a great idea. If only a few westchester depts would do that..............

[Mofire24 27]

It's the direction most volunteer ems agencies are going to have to go because of staff issues

[Bnechis 3,961]

I think its a critical issue for most volunteer agencies and a big 1st step.

For Ditricts or Municipal services it is also critical to liability reduction. If a taxpayer in a fire (or EMS) district does not get a reasonable response then they can and should question what are my taxes paying for. If the district has a poor track record for coverage and the taxpayer sues this will all come out in court.

i.e. So chief please tell the jury how many years the taxpayers have been paying for this service?.......and based on your dispatch records how many years has this been a problem? And when were you planning on doing something about it?

To the Jury: "So Mrs. Smith who has been paying taxes to the district for the last 47 years and the district has been telling her just dial 911 and we will be right there. On the afternoon of her stroke, she lay on the floor as the ambulance sat in the station. No crew responded, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes....etc."

The records showed this was a problem for the last 5-10 years and the record also shows it was discused many times by the officers, but nothing was ever done, but they still charged her taxes.

How do you see this coming out in court?

Good for SFD if they are willing to make this self evaluation and correction.

[Goose 188]

Better late than never.

[BFD1054 1,552]

First off, kudos to Somers FD-EMS for trying to mitigate their staffing issues.

However, i am on both sides of the fence with the paid-call solution. My feeling is that when you join a volunteer organization, its just that, volunteer. In joining, you knew what was expected of you and that there would be no monetary compensation. Now, if their staffing and call coverage improves, great, its a success. However, that gives me the impression that people are "choosing" calls and simply staying home when the pager sounds (again, its volunteer). So now, you will be paying these same people to cover the same calls that they werent covering as volunteers.

But, on the economical side of things, it seems like a step in the right direction as far as being fiscally responsible. If EMTs and drivers are getting $10 per call and attendants $5 a call, it would still be cheaper than having full-time career staff. With full-time staffing, you're paying per hour and possibly having to pay benefits. The average EMS call (at least in my district) is approximately 1 hour from time of dispatch to your back-in-service time. With that said, for $25 an hour, Somers FD-EMS is getting a full crew. Whereas a full-time crew (maybe just an EMT and EMT/driver) would be closer to $40-$50 an hour.

All in all, i think its a smart move by Somers and an initiative in the right direction. Good for them for realizing their issues and thinking outside the box, so to speak, to improve call coverage. I wish them the best with this.

[Goose 188]

Have to agree with part of what BFD said when you look at these sorts of things from a general perspective (i'm not singling out Somers). If you volunteer, then you should do just that - volunteer your time and service without a desire to be or a need to be compensated monetarily.

These ring around the rosie "solutions" have always been silly to me. Either pay people or don't. And most of all don't mislead you're population - if you're paying people, maybe volunteer should come off the side of the apparatus....

[Remember585 815]

First of all - I want it to be known I am not attempting to start a war of any kind. Secondly, my thoughts are my own and have no reflection on any affiliation (past or present) I have.

Disclaimers out of the way, my question is this:

Would it be wiser to take the money given to Westchester EMS for dispatching services and put it towards part-time or even full-time EMT/Driver coverage, and use an alternate means of dispatching, such as 60 Control? I remember working as an SFD Dispatcher years ago prior to the WEMS "take over," and call coverage was still an issue (like everywhere else). If the money given to WEMS for dispatch was redirected to EMT coverage, wouldn't that be more beneficial to the residents of Somers, rather then paying for what is basically a "free" service offered by 60 Control?

Again, I am not advocating one way or the other, but has this option ever been explored?

Glad to see Somers recognizing an issue and working on it. I wish other agencies would do the same thing, instead of pawning off large numbers of their calls to Mutual Aid.

[Mofire24 27]

John

They can hire emt/drivers and have the fire dist take back dispatchers and we go and work there again part time I always enjoyed working there and the members everyone is great. You can admit we had an awesome time working there and had alot of laughs

[x635 4,066]

Would it be wiser to take the money given to Westchester EMS for dispatching services and put it towards part-time or even full-time EMT/Driver coverage, and use an alternate means of dispatching, such as 60 Control? I remember working as an SFD Dispatcher years ago prior to the WEMS "take over," and call coverage was still an issue (like everywhere else). If the money given to WEMS for dispatch was redirected to EMT coverage, wouldn't that be more beneficial to the residents of Somers, rather then paying for what is basically a "free" service offered by 60 Control?

I have been saying that for years. The reasoning, from what I understood it a few years ago now, is that certain commisioner feared losing "control" by losing dispatch. I say instead of paying WEMS to dispatch, pay WEMS for an ambulance crew 24/7.

[JBE 328]

I'm glad to see that they are taking a progressive step in repairing a long standing problem. Last summer, my mother(RIP) called for an ambulance and had to wait until Mahopac Falls came in Mutual aid and transported her to WCMC. Nobody should have to wait 25 minutes for an ambulance coming all the way from the Falls to an area a three minute drive from Somers HQ. Speaking of WEMS, wouldn't it have helped them to have an ambulance roaming in that general area on top of the fly car??

Edited November 11, 2009 by JBE

[99subi 121]

I think we need to realize that vol. EMS just doesnt work anymore,granted alot of depts can cover the MAJORTY of their calls, its still not covering all of them and that to me is unacceptable. EMS calls should be coverd 100% of the time everytime. period!

Edited November 11, 2009 by 99subi

[Mofire24 27]

It's not just volunteer ems that have response time like that also many big cities like NYC tie up an engine company with ems and they wait sometimes up to an hour for an ambulance. And it has happened with my agency which has 3 rigs we got hit with 6 calls at once and had all three rigs out the door and 3 mutual aid rigs into the dist to cover the other 3. Should people who join come out and run calls yes because that is what they sign up too do but I have noticed with alot of EMS agencies you have the same people taking calls and they do get tired out sick and go out of town. If the agencies want to stay volunteer I can see trying to find ways to retain members and out of all the calls that alot of agencies run and patient bill $10 a call is a nice insentive to get members out and keep the agency going. If you think about giving someone $10 a call as to paying an EMT/driver plus benefits and such. It's EMS as a whole that is having a problem not enough EMT's and Medics it's a problem not easily solved !

[helicopper 1,050]

First off, kudos to Somers FD-EMS for trying to mitigate their staffing issues.

However, i am on both sides of the fence with the paid-call solution. My feeling is that when you join a volunteer organization, its just that, volunteer. In joining, you knew what was expected of you and that there would be no monetary compensation. Now, if their staffing and call coverage improves, great, its a success. However, that gives me the impression that people are "choosing" calls and simply staying home when the pager sounds (again, its volunteer). So now, you will be paying these same people to cover the same calls that they werent covering as volunteers.

But, on the economical side of things, it seems like a step in the right direction as far as being fiscally responsible. If EMTs and drivers are getting $10 per call and attendants $5 a call, it would still be cheaper than having full-time career staff. With full-time staffing, you're paying per hour and possibly having to pay benefits. The average EMS call (at least in my district) is approximately 1 hour from time of dispatch to your back-in-service time. With that said, for $25 an hour, Somers FD-EMS is getting a full crew. Whereas a full-time crew (maybe just an EMT and EMT/driver) would be closer to $40-$50 an hour.

All in all, i think its a smart move by Somers and an initiative in the right direction. Good for them for realizing their issues and thinking outside the box, so to speak, to improve call coverage. I wish them the best with this.

I agree with the premise that volunteers should volunteer but since that Elvis has already left the building, Somers had to come up with something. To their credit, they are not ignoring the problem.

This has little to do with Somers but rather the issue of pay per call vs. paid personnel.

Is it really just $25 per call? What is seven people show up for a call, do they pay them all? What happens at a PIAA where the FD has numerous members show up, who gets paid then? If the answer is just the first three on the ambulance, will that cause animosity among other members?

Paid personnel doesn't necessarily mean that benefits are required. Simply by hiring part-time personnel, Somers could avoid becoming a full-time employer and actually pay more per hour to attract and retain quality EMT's.

I truly hope that they don't run their own dispatch for fear of "losing control". That's a terrible waste of money and a duplication of resources.

Good luck to Somers, I hope this plan reduces their problems.

[LCFD968 10]

Somebody from Mahopac Volunteer Fire Dept would like to add to this I beleive they have doing this for a few years now and for the most part has worked out for them...