Interesting article

[backdraft663]

http://www.wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/iteam/211bdcbe.html

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

That's a very intersting article. You could cross out Kenton County and insert Morris County in there and it would be the same story.

[Weruj1]

All I will say is you gotta love the news ...........

[Quigger]

i would like to these people go though the training for EMT and then hear what they have to say.

All I will say is you gotta love the news ...........

how very true....

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

I didn't get that they were attacking EMT's per se. I got that they have identified a problem whereby volly squads in this area cannot answer the bell on a consistent basis during the day. That is a problem that should be reported. People have a right to know if they are living in an area with inadequate EMS coverage.

The theme of the article is a common one across this country. It is getting harder and harder to recruit and retain volunteers. That's why I'm big on regionalization. If four volly squads can only muster one volly apiece, why not regionalize the squads and get not one, but two crews out? Works the same in the fire service.

Work smarter, not harder.

[FiRsqDvr45]

THIS IS A QUOTE FROM THE ARTICLE:
"Voters passed a tax increase to hire part-time emergency medical technicians for 12 hours a day, Monday through Friday.

That has helped, but it's also led to the new problem of some new EMTs working who don't meet all necessary standards."


Then there is an obvious problem with those in charge of hiring these people. I find it hard to believed that hiring unqualified people has helped anything. Why are the being hired if they don't meet "the necessary standards"?

While researching the Ludlow KY FD I found the following quote in an article concerning a fire tax levy increase propsed for 2002 that may shed some light on the confusion during the hiring process for these EMS personnel.

"EMTs have a higher level of training than paramedics and are licensed to perform more advanced life support, which can sometimes make the difference in a patient's survival. Many small but growing cities across Northern Kentucky are moving to hire their own EMTs as populations age and require more health services."

AHWNK! Wrong answer, Don Pardo,tell the runner ups what parting gifts we have for them...


Christina thomas, ludlow resident, on camera: "That's shocking. I would assume anyone who works on an ambulance or a rescue unit would be able to do that." (regarding the use or non qualification to use the combi-tube)

This shows that the Ludlow VFD has a great opportunity here to go out and educate the public as to what they do. Many people assume or just plain do not know (or care until they call) what we do or are trained to do. Television instills people with the mental image of dozens of hose dragging and axe swinging firefighters arriving to their smoking toaster or a handful of tube throwing, drug pushing, chest zapping paramedics arriving for their hangnail. Educate your public folks, it goes a long way to a better community relations. The article beats the combitube issue into pulp and I have to wonder if the investigative teams looked into what the difference between EMT's, Paramedics,etc. were training-wise before they did this program.


Van Collins, Ludlow, Kentucky assistant fire chief, on tape: "5:27, that's a bad time as far as volunteers are concerned. You got people going to work on their full-time job and they just weren't available. They couldn't make it."
So what he is really saying is that at 0527 is a bad time for people to call for a a service in this community? If the last two statements are the rule and not an exception then Collins and his department need to do something to fix it. It is obvious that Ludlow is not alone as the artilce mentions the sickening amout of calls "missed" by other departments in the area. Hopefully this whole situation works out for the citizens.

Oh, Amen Brother George!

[drparasite]

That's why I'm big on regionalization.

regionalization is a good idea, but you get increased response times because the station they are responding out of is no longer located within the town they are responding into. plus, if the crew members respond to the station everytime they gat a calls (which is what these orgs seem to do), having a regionalized station might make it too far for members to respond if they have a call.

EMTs have a higher level of training than paramedics and are licensed to perform more advanced life support,

yeah, sounds like someone needs to research their topic before they tell the public incorrect information as correct facts.

So what he is really saying is that at 0527 is a bad time for people to call for a a service in this community?

i believe that was 1727, not 0527. but your right, they do need to do something

It is obvious that Ludlow is not alone as the artilce mentions the sickening amout of calls "missed" by other departments in the area.

Ludlow's volunteers missed 52 911 calls.
Park Hills missed 22 calls out of 256 calls (8%). Bromley, another all-volunteer service, missed 21 out 169 calls (12%). they answered 92% and 88% of their emergency calls. I don't think those numbers are sickening. I don't think it's right, but i don't think sickening is the right word.

that article kept saying that not being trained on the combitube resulted in having no qualified EMTs on the rig. for those of you who havn't seen a combi-tube, it's pretty much idiot proof, and easy to be trained on. but if you can't use it (like many of the states who's protcols don't permit it), there are still other tools you can use (BVM and oral adjunct) to perform a similar job.

lastly, the public needs to understand that there is a difference between EMTs and Paramedics. i believe something like 40% of EMS calls can be handled by BLS only. just because a person isn't a medic, or can't do ALS procedures, doesn't mean they are unable to help a person.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

regionalization is a good idea, but you get increased response times because the station they are responding out of is no longer located within the town they are responding into. plus, if the crew members respond to the station everytime they gat a calls (which is what these orgs seem to do), having a regionalized station might make it too far for members to respond if they have a call.

Not when the option is six requests for a crew or no response at all.

[codeblue81]

That problem is seen here in Illinois also. The community just to ghe south has a problem with EMTs responding during the day. With 15 EMTs none are available during the day for calls. It's almost sad to listen to them tone out 3 times and then a farther unit responding from 15miles out.

code_blue81

[FiRsqDvr45]

So why do people keep retoning two and three times? Stop wasting precious time and if no one is on after the first tone, retone AND send another town also. The key here is getting the service to the people who need it. Wasting time toning over and over again with out a response is just plain stupid IMHO.

[hwoods]

Again, Not the right answers........

Why are all these people missing the boat?? All these folks on camera, Fire Chiefs in particular, and not one said a word about needing more Volunteers. If someone with a Camera and a mike walked up and asked me what the problem is, I'd have to tell the truth. The truth is that the people of the community must get off their apathy and volunteer. I've done exactly that, and guess what? we got some volunteers AND the whining stopped. Stay Safe....

[ThNozzleman]

We have a county-based, professional EMS system that uses all ALS trucks. I wouldn't have it any other way. Volunteer EMS just never made sense to me. Failing to respond to even a few dispatches is criminal in my mind. At the very least it should be seen as a public embarrassment.

[Bones42]

and I have a town based, professional EMS BLS agency that handles about 1500 calls a year. We also respond to our next town over when they are unable to answer a call. ALS is provided by a private service, and they are available about 80% of the time when needed.


PS - it's all volunteer.

[cozmosis]

Originally posted by DrParasite
Ludlow's volunteers missed 52 911 calls. Park Hills missed 22 calls out of 256 calls (8%). Bromley, another all-volunteer service, missed 21 out 169 calls (12%). they answered 92% and 88% of their emergency calls. I don't think those numbers are sickening. I don't think it's right, but i don't think sickening is the right word.

FIFTY-TWO times, someone called 911 for help. And FIFTY-TWO times, the people charges with responding to medical emergencies COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY FAILED to do their job.

FIFTY-TWO times, people like YOUR mom or your sister or your children or your brother called for help. And FIFTY-TWO times, they had to wait unneccessarily because this department isn't prepared to do the job the taxpayers ask them to do.

That is sickening.

[Ohiovolffemtp]

I read that story and was tempted to email the TV station, esp. since years ago I appeared on one of their I-team segments about problems with the Ohio EMS agency.

They make a mountain out of a mole-hill with the combitube training issue. That's about a 1-2 hour training.

They miss the real issue - which we all caught - the lack of volunteers, esp. M-F days. For perspective, according to their web site, Ludlow KY is a town of just under 4900, with 26 EMS volunteers. That's about 1 out of every 170 persons in the town volunteering. 26 people just isn't enough, esp. when you consider that you'd need 28 people to cover every 12 hour shift in a week with 2 people without requiring folks to run more than 1 shift.

Volunteer EMS is possible. Backdraft & I are on the same dept. We provide volunteer coverage for all but 10AM-6PM M-F - at the ALS level. We miss about 1 1st out call a year and have medics available over 95% of the time on a call volume of 900+ runs/year.

The TV station missed another key point - the increased cost of staffing stations. Picture what $100K/yr added staffing costs would do to the dept's budget, which was probably under $50K/yr before - for fire & EMS.

More I think about it, we really do need to educate the media, the local govt, & the citizens about what they have, what it costs, and what other options would look like it.