Are we focusing too much on the "big stuff"

[v85 212]

This was just a question that I have been wondering about for some time now. It seems that after 9/11 everyone is focusing on preparing for "the big one", as well they should but it just seems backwards to me when:

An ambulance corps has enough MCI equipment to treat 100+ patients, but can't get out the door for an elderly fall victim

A fire department has all of the latest and greatest HAZMAT and WMD gear, but needs to call massive amounts of mutual aid for a room and contents fire

A police department has plenty of tactical and active shooter training, but needs to call the state police or sheriff's office to handle a past burg or larceny

[x129K 1,393]

The wagon is certainly before the horse in many apects of emergency services.

[xfirefighter484x 234]

This was just a question that I have been wondering about for some time now. It seems that after 9/11 everyone is focusing on preparing for "the big one", as well they should but it just seems backwards to me when:

An ambulance corps has enough MCI equipment to treat 100+ patients, but can't get out the door for an elderly fall victim

A fire department has all of the latest and greatest HAZMAT and WMD gear, but needs to call massive amounts of mutual aid for a room and contents fire

A police department has plenty of tactical and active shooter training, but needs to call the state police or sheriff's office to handle a past burg or larceny

If only there were more people like you who saw these things for what they are, and "calls /em like he sees 'em"...

[wraftery 1,275]

We are Emergency services.

We can't make the mistake of focusing on EITHER the big stuff or the little stuff.

We have to be able to handle BOTH.

That's what the public expects of us.

[sjc317 31]

If we build it, they will come

[voltage1256 42]

An ambulance corps has enough MCI equipment to treat 100+ patients, but can't get out the door for an elderly fall victim

A fire department has all of the latest and greatest HAZMAT and WMD gear, but needs to call massive amounts of mutual aid for a room and contents fire

A police department has plenty of tactical and active shooter training, but needs to call the state police or sheriff's office to handle a past burg or larceny

While I see where you are coming from, I think its a little shallow to use these examples on such a grand scale. Sure every department has its "issues" but the majority in the system do not have the ones stated above. A couple of members here have some quotes in their signatures I find very true, "Over prepare, then go with the flow" and "When the time to perform arrives, the time to prepare has passed" unfortunately in today's world we have to be ready for whatever, I'm not saying in a paranoid way expect the big one its coming! But preparing never hurts.

- Just My .02

[v85 212]

I think my main point was that you get prepared for handling the "big stuff" by doing the "small stuff". I remember in the topic on the school shooting response someone said that "you will get a lot of help, if it is qualified help it's a different story". If your not prepared to handle small things, what makes you think you can handle big things.

[antiquefirelt 994]

This was just a question that I have been wondering about for some time now. It seems that after 9/11 everyone is focusing on preparing for "the big one", as well they should but it just seems backwards to me when:

An ambulance corps has enough MCI equipment to treat 100+ patients, but can't get out the door for an elderly fall victim

A fire department has all of the latest and greatest HAZMAT and WMD gear, but needs to call massive amounts of mutual aid for a room and contents fire

A police department has plenty of tactical and active shooter training, but needs to call the state police or sheriff's office to handle a past burg or larceny

Much of the "Big Stuff" capabilities (outside urban cities who had already been addressing them)have been funded by the Fed's as part of the knee-jerk reaction to 9/11 and compounded by Hurricane Katrina. The holes in our pre-9/11 systems were revealed and large monetary patches were thrown out, while not really assessing the actual capability of those "fixing the problem". My FD jumped in both feet when we saw that they'd basically fund and equip our existing haz-mat team. Basically we enhanced our existing capabilities for the price of responding anywhere in the state if requested.

As small career FD that does Fire,EMS and is a state funded Haz-Mat/WMD team we're finding now that while we have lots of great gear and training keeping up all of it is difficult with little staff. We've hit max saturation, personnel already work 56 hr/wk then nearly all the OT anyone wants, plus countless mandatory training's to maintain certifications and skills. And every area of the mission demands more time and attention. The basic mission suffers for lack of time to spend on it. I think my FD would benefit from getting out of the Haz-mat business, but there is no other technician team deployment capability within 1-2 hrs of of us, thus leaving a hole in our region if we dissolve. Having the only career staff seems to make us the only show in town as very few volunteers have any interest in HM and I can't blame them there's little draw and very few call outs.

Edited March 11, 2012 by antiquefirelt