So Long, Thanks for the Fish

DC Fire and EMS Chief Kenneth Ellerbe has finally seen the light and stepped down from his current position.  Interestingly enough, he had what could be the quote of the year, “I think we’ve left the department in a much better position than when I got here.”  I am not sure what changes Chief Ellerbe made to the “fire side” of the operation, but judging from what has been going on with the EMS side, the most positive thing that has happened to the department is his departure from it.

So where does DCFEMS go from here?  Inevitably, they will hire on a chief with a fire department background who might even end up being former Prince George’s County Fire Chief Eugene Jones.  While there are probably some pretty qualified candidates out there with fire based EMS experience, is that really the right direction for DCFEMS to go or should they make a bolder move?

One of the best things about moving down to the mid-Atlantic region of the country is the fact that there is now a WaWa superstore on almost every corner.  It meets all my needs, and more importantly keeps my coffee cup full.  I wonder how much business their coffee provides for them in relation to the groceries, gas pumps, and delis do.  I can tell you, however, that the coffee probably takes up less than a quarter of the actual space in the store.  I am sure though that the general managers that the stores hire are well versed in all sections of their store.  I would find it unusual if they hired someone who said, “Well, I know A LOT about coffee, but the other 80% stuff, I guess I’ll find someone who knows a bit about that too.”

On this week’s podcast, David Konig, Sean Eddy, and RJ Stine and I discuss this exact issue.  As a host, I try to “steer the ship” if you will, but sometimes it is hard for me to keep my thoughts contained and not soapbox.  Luckily, in this episode, David Konig said a lot of what I wanted to say.  It is time for DCFEMS to do something different.

In a department that does a considerably higher volume of EMS calls than fire calls, why not bring in an expert in EMS to run the department and create the title of “Chief of Public Safety?”  Instead of having a fire chief that relies on the “expertise” of their leadership on the EMS side of the house, why not hire a chief who can run an EMS service who also receives input from the fire staff that work under him?  I am sure that the department is full of experts in fire suppression and I am sure that they probably do a fantastic job of it.  That mission does not need as much fixing as the EMS mission in the city.

If you ask me, what the department needs is a drastic and radical change.  Doing anything else would be just repeating history and trying the same thing that has been tried over and over again for the last ten years or so.  Unfortunately, it is clear that despite having the personnel, the established union, and the equipment, Washington DC is not going to create the stand alone EMS service that the city desperately needs, so lets get the right people in the seats that can actually fix this damaged, broken department.

Whomever the next chief of DCFEMS is will have a lot of challenges ahead of them.  There are decisions to be made, and cultural changes that need to come down the pike in order to make sure that the citizens and visitors to Washington, DC have the best possible care responding to them should they have to pick up the phone and dial 911 for an ambulance.  I can pretty much guarantee the EMS blogging world will be watching this closely over the next year.

I wish them the best of luck!