I really need to know: at what point did EMS stop being about patients and start being about providers? When did EMS become more about justifying jobs than about taking care of people? And when did scare tactics become an acceptable way of disseminating information to the masses?
I am sorry, but I am angry, and I am not willing, as a prehospital provider, to take it anymore. Preying off of the unjustified fears of others is just plain wrong. Telling someone that lesser experienced less equipped EMS staff geared towards saving jobs rather than saving lives is the best choice is like telling your kids there is a monster under their bed to keep them from getting up late at night. Anyone who takes these kinds of action, whether they be a public official, a private company, a fire department, a police department, a union, or anything else should be ashamed of themselves for utilizing such deplorable, unethical tactics.
We need to get it through to the public that what is really important to their well-being is that they have strong providers standing at their door when the need for them arises. A truly efficient high performance EMS system realizes the limitations of each of its participants and compensates for those by emphasizing the strengths of the other stake holders with one goal in mind: the effective delivery of prehospital care. They are proud of what they do, and they let everyone know it, and most importantly they are not vindictive and manipulative. They work together as a team. They stand up for each other and they don’t allow bad blood to simmer or go unaddressed because they realize that teamwork is so important.
One of the key goals of anyone employed in any branch of public safety should be to acquire the trust and support of the community. It is really sad when instead of rewarding that trust with factual information about what EMS is, what its purpose is, and how it is best delivered, some chose instead to prey on that trust, distribute misinformation (sometimes to the point of it being a blatant outright lie or fabrication) all for their own personal gain. That is not what being in this field is all about. That is not what being a public servant is all about.
When an entity fails to keep that trust in mind, and when they betray it, they are betraying everything that we as an industry stand for. The problem is though when that trust is so deep rooted in the community that the uninformed public does not see the betrayal, there is little one can do about it.
So what is the answer to all of this? Be honest. Live up to your limitations. Failing to come clean to the people you serve is disingenuous and truly sad. The majority of people might not see it and realize it, but above all else, you are the one who has to go home each day carrying the burden of your own actions, and if you can live with betraying the people who trust you most, well, I don’t know what to tell you.
A reminder: The views expressed on this blog are those of the author(s) and they do not necessarily reflect the views of the authors’ employer(s) both past and present, or the owners and other authors on the First Responders Network.
This author from the First Responders Network would like to remind readers that I agree with SBC 100%.
Much like Bartols and James, I thank you for your support.
Been that for awhile now. I had a chat with a new chief about his desire to have an ambulance service in his department. When I expressed my feelings that there was no mention about patient care he replied, “O no, this isn’t about patient care, it is all about money”. Sad but true.
unfortunately, it has been my experience, in my nearly 27 years in EMS, that this is not a new thing. it has been going on for many years, and will continue. There will always be people that do this. it is our professional responsibility to do our best not to accept this, and try to stop it. Keep the faith my friend, we can make a difference. One word of caution sometimes it isn’t a tactic, but the truth and that truth gets lost in the sea of lies that others tell.
This reads like the “Ambulance Service Bounce”unprotected labor leads to cut throat competion within the Team…Bad times…..
I agree. We have gone from being a service to corporations. Look at Houston. 336 companies in operation and 333 are under investigation of some sort. People are seeing $ and don’t care what happens as long as the ticket is billable. QA is just in case someone does complain and they then start looking at patient care, of that one individual, and go back to normal when they think the heat is off. When they find out reimbursement isn’t as great as they thought they start panicking. Lots of fire departments have found this out.
Some owners are used to living lavish lifestyles and the cuts in reimbursement are interfering with their happiness. In order to keep up they start cutting corners and run the few crews left into the ground just so they can get that new Mercedes. Some of us should have ‘CRAFTSMAN’ on our foreheads because all we are just tools to them.
Scott,
I think that I agree with you – but without some details or context, I really can’t understand what you are talking about!
Skip
Thank you, sir. Without getting into clear specifics, the examples are all around us: “We are better equipped to handle EMS calls because we can get there quicker. If we don’t get there quickly, people will die.” Or my personal favorite: seeking out the ambulance not because you can truly provide patient care but because its responses and increased call volume can justify jobs for an organization.
Strive to provide better care for patients instead of saying “we can do this, how hard can it be?”
Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts and comments. It is tactics like this that led to the fall of AMR in Alameda County, and the struggles of MAST in Kansas City. Communities need to look beyond response and see what an organization can really offer when it comes to patient care. That needs to be first.. it HAS TO be first.
While I believe I know what you are talking about, I am not going into specifics for obvious reasons. The scare tactics of “the sky is falling” only go so far as long as someone stands up and tells the truth. In 90% of the cases, getting there faster is irrelevant. In terms of an “organization” taking over ambulance duties to justify jobs (I know I’m opening Pandora’s box here), I think it makes sense under certain circumstances and if done correctly. I’m not saying it would be the right choice in all cases, but sometimes in these economic times, it could be worth looking into. That being said, if an “organization” is attempting to get into the business, they need to put forth the full effort needed and not half-ass it. There should not be a reduction in service levels. Again, if we had to be less cryptic, this would make more sense but that is not possible at the moment.