This Does Not Compute!!
I was strolling not too far from my home last week when an ambulance and fire truck went by, sirens blaring and lights flashing. They turned onto a side street less than a block from me, so I went to see what was going on.
A woman had fainted in a small business parking lot and the ambulance had to come to help her, and if necessary, take her to emergency room (which it did.)
The ambulance made sense, but why the fire truck?
It makes sense to send an ambulance to all fire calls because you never know if someone is going to be hurt by the fire, but why send a fire truck on all ambulance runs?
I asked a bit, and it was because every truck crew has a fully qualified paramedic and they want them at the scene.
I wonder though, at a time of budget cuts and local deficits, wouldn't it make more sense to put the paramedic on the ambulance?
Or is there something I don't know?
A woman had fainted in a small business parking lot and the ambulance had to come to help her, and if necessary, take her to emergency room (which it did.)
The ambulance made sense, but why the fire truck?
It makes sense to send an ambulance to all fire calls because you never know if someone is going to be hurt by the fire, but why send a fire truck on all ambulance runs?
I asked a bit, and it was because every truck crew has a fully qualified paramedic and they want them at the scene.
I wonder though, at a time of budget cuts and local deficits, wouldn't it make more sense to put the paramedic on the ambulance?
Or is there something I don't know?
posted by shoprat at 7:57 PM
2 Comments:
In my city EMS has 2 paramedics...On a non life threatening call they simply switch out or take turns driving the ambulance while the other attends to the patient. No fire dept personell needed...
Firetrucks will be dipatched with the ambulance in hopes of maybe being the first on the scene of say a cardiac arrest and begin CPR before the medics arrive, thus saving precious minutes for the medics until they can get there. Once on the scene both medics will be required to attend to the patient as it may apply to a severe trauma situation also. The medics will need a fireman to drive their ambulance or squad while they stay busy trying to save a life in the back. The fire dept will also be dispatched with an ambulance if the patient is quite large and the medics need assistance to get that patient on a gurney and in the back of their squad.
911 operators simply will dispatch both if the situation dictates more man power than a two man paramedic crew can handle.
Hope that was helpful. :)
Gunz's comment helped me a lot because I was as confused about this as you were. So thanks, Gunz!
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