Tactical Paramedics & Active Shooters

[x635 4,066]

It's great that Paramedics are being trained to be on a SWAT team or Active Shooter response, as it brings medical care to those who need it immediately in a very dangerous situation.

 

My only issue is non-Civil Service Paramedics who work for private companies. If they get shot and injured, or god forbid, killed, they do not get the same benefits as a firefighter or police officer who is injured or killed in the line of duty. If they have a family, that family is not provided for like they would if he/she was in civil service.

 

If private service Paramedics are going to be part of tactical teams, is there any way to give them some sort of LODI or LODD benefit that is parity with FF's and LEO's?

 

Am I wrong?

[velcroMedic1987 330]

15 hours ago, x635 said:

It's great that Paramedics are being trained to be on a SWAT team or Active Shooter response, as it brings medical care to those who need it immediately in a very dangerous situation.

 

My only issue is non-Civil Service Paramedics who work for private companies. If they get shot and injured, or god forbid, killed, they do not get the same benefits as a firefighter or police officer who is injured or killed in the line of duty. If they have a family, that family is not provided for like they would if he/she was in civil service.

 

If private service Paramedics are going to be part of tactical teams, is there any way to give them some sort of LODI or LODD benefit that is parity with FF's and LEO's?

 

Am I wrong?

 

 

Of course they are not going to receive the same benefits as a municipal civil-service employee.  They will get workers compensation and whatever their agency provides insurance wise.  There's never going to be parity between commercial (or volunteer) EMS providers and municipal police/fire.  Police/fire LODI/LODD benefits are the result of legislation and collective bargaining agreements negotiated over years of such contracts.  Given that they're always trying to cut the benefits for the civil service workers, they're NEVER going to extend that level of coverage to the employee of a private corporation. 

The responsibility should be on the private service putting their personnel in that situation.  If they are not providing their employee with adequate protection, someone should be asking "what are we doing here"?

 

 If they want to put a commercial paramedic on a municipal SWAT team, there must be some sort of indemnification for the town/city/village.  If there isn't such an agreement, the town attorney or city counsel must not have been consulted.  They won't let you borrow a shovel without an agreement and details about liability and indemnification.

 

 

[sympathomedic 383]

When we tried to get a line of duty death coverage benefit at Empress (4+years ago) we were told that no one makes such a product. Apparently there is/was no demand from private sector companies for line of duty death benefits for their employees. It makes sense; most of the jobs we consider dangerous are done by government employees. Despite EMS having a LODD rate comparable to the fire service, the demand for this kind of insurance does not exist.   I will say that I personally did not research it.

    In a conversation with management I said that I have no issue with this type of work if we are trained, equipped and insured.  I MUST be 100% confident that my widow and kids will not be evicted if I am killed doing it.

 

We settled for $50,000 life insurance on all employees, no matter how they die. Even deaths by boredom from reading EMT Bravo posts are covered.