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That’s So Crazy, It Just Might Work!

14 comments

Colorado Fire Department to test smaller vehicles for medical calls.

By Erica Meltzer
The Daily Camera

BOULDER, Colo. — Medical calls, not fires, account for more than half of all calls to which Boulder Fire-Rescue crews respond, and the number of medical calls increased 17 percent from 2006 to 2011.

Boulder's fire department is looking at adding smaller vehicles for paramedics to respond to many of those calls without sending a fire engine or — when engines aren't available — a ladder truck.

Boy, if only they made a vehicle smaller and far less expensive to buy, fuel and maintain than a ladder truck, that could be staffed with a crew of two, that still had enough room for lifesaving gear and a patient!

Why, I bet you could even use it to – *GASP!* – take patients to the hospital. I bet there might even be a way to get paid for doing that!

</sarcasm>

Here's a novel idea: Let fire handle fire calls, and let EMS do EMS calls. And if the current ambulance provider can't or won't field enough ambulances to meet response time standards without distracting the FD from their core mission, then maybe Boulder could replace them with another company that will.

Wouldn't that be even less expensive than this "solution?"

Update: Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks that way.

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Posted by on April 7, 2012 • Filed under: Uncategorized
  • Old_NFO

    I can’t see AMR actually doing that… profit margin and all…

  • Mightyguitarzan

    Why Such a hostile tone towards fire based EMS.

  • Scribbles412

    With the Michelle smith law, I welcome the fire trucks to protect me so I can work my magic.

  • Ambulance_Driver

    It’s not a hostile tone toward fire-based EMS. I just believe that each role – fire suppression and EMS – are sufficiently important to warrant separate entities to provide them.
    There are some fire departments that do EMS very well. There are also a great many – including some of our major cities – that consider EMS as nothing more than a necessary evil, and as a means to justify staffing and funding levels.
    I’ve voiced my opinion on fire EMS before on this blog and elsewhere, but if there’s a hostile tone in this particular post, it’s directed toward for-profit ambulance companies propping up their response time figures with taxpayer- funded FD first response.

  • Fern the Fire-Rescue newbie

    As a person studying fire science, and passionate about both Fire & EMS, the big red truck ain’t the cheapest financial way to provide EMS.

    Fire Engines get about 6-8 mpg. No, that’s not a typo. Compare that to a Class V non-transporting ambulance, where you probably get 3-4 times that. Hell, even a normal ambulance (Class 1, 2, & 3) get more than that. I’d have to double check the numbers, but I’d ballpark it around 2 times the mpg of the fire truck.

    Diesel ain’t cheap. Fuel efficient trucks make that dollar go farther (literally.)

    And I echo Kelly’s comments about providing EMS for the right reasons. Many departments use it to justify staffing, and that’s just not right.

  • WSF

    You are talking about the Peoples Republic of Boulder, fifty square miles surrounded by reality. If you can suggest something that incorporates red light cameras and photo radar, they might listen.

  • Ambulance_Driver

    And prosecuting people for DUI when they’re sleeping in a locked vehicle parked in the bar parking lot, with the engine off and the keys in their pocket.
    And they bank on the likelihood that you’re not willing to spend $10k to fight it.

  • Cath

    That’s some major breakthrough, right there. One might even give them a new name, like…. I don’t know…. Broken-People-Carrier, or perhaps something indicating their ability to move about. :-D

  • MasterMedic

    With only 2 private ambo companies left in Denver that can handle the Boulder EMS needs, Rural/Metro-Pridemark (the wal-mart of EMS) and AMR coupled with the push to move transport into the FD (Arvada) this is a way to prime the pump for Boulder to begin transporting.

    Additionally, since AMR took over in Jan, I’ve heard that the competence level of select crews has been lacking; inability to find addresses, weak medical skill, general incompetence which BFD is not happy about. As such they are attempting to also stave off negative impressions about them.

  • MasterMedic

    I’m sure you also agree that an unstable guy with borderline personality disorder should be removed from being in contact with the patients as well. Save the gossip for SouthPark.

  • Bobball

    Here’s the thing, AD…I’m no fan of Fire-Based EMS…for the same reasons you bring up. Yes, there are some Fire/EMS services that do well (though I’ve heard stories that the “good” EMS ones are “basement flooders” when it comes to suppression). I also believe the biggest first obstacle we face in EMS is that of a lack of true identity. Regardless of the “company” we work for (which may indeed be fire or private, or hospital, or 3rd service, etc.); there are too many (and fire is one of them) places that want EMS to be part of *their* identity; rather than allowing EMS to be their own discipline.

    All that said, many parts of the country, EMS response time standards aren’t propped up by local FDs, but the local FD or PD very well may be an integral part of the system as a BLS first responder. Why? Because in those cases where some sort of trained person can make a difference (such as cardiac arrest, choking, etc.), it’s better than waiting for EMS…even if the response time is within the norms. I mean, if I’m choking, I’d be happier to see a fire truck or police car show up (in my darkening tunnel vision) and begin trying to fix things at a BLS level, than merely trust that EMS will arrive within 8 (or 9 or 10…depending on the standard) minutes to yank some food bolus from me with a laryngoscope; after I’ve gone the way of the dodo.

    Admittedly, many of our suburban PDs & FDs go on almost all medicals within their cities. For them it’s partly to help, and partly to show the city taxpayers that the police or fire department do actually go out on emergencies. That’s their thing. I’m fine with that. Side note…they often do respond in the light rescue or grass fire truck (pick-ups) or police cruiser; as opposed to a full-sized engine.

    In the bigger city, they go out on certain nature types where we (EMS) might really need a hand. They do run only their full apparatus. My understanding is that a medical first response (in vehicle costs to the city) is about $500 per call…$700 for the ladder truck.

    All that said, we don’t have enough ambulances to make every call in under 5 minutes (like our first responders normally do). To do that; we’d have skill degradation…too many ambulances, not enough work…and we’d go belly-up. We get 0 from the local taxpayer to provide service. If we don’t have paying gigs, we’re eating those costs.

    So, I wouldn’t be quick to paint all FD first response with the same brush…

  • Ambulance_Driver

    Good points all, Bob.

    Thanks for the input.

  • WSF

    That is a blood sport for Colorado DA’s. 

  • John Beaty

    When my wife had an anxiety attack (we didn’t know what it was, she complained of tight chest, can’t get her breath etc.), Pasadena FD sent a Paramedic vehicle, a BRT, and an ambulance. Totaled about 13 people. Excess cost (above salaries) probably over $2000. They were wonderful (I got chewed out for not calling sooner, which was appropriate: I waited about 5 minutes before calling 911, still not sure why) and I still wonder what the BRT was there for.

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