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First Responder Calls
I am with a 100% volunteer fire dept. who has about five guys that are first responders. There is a county squad that is also volunteer in our station and it seems that they are always out of service due to lack of participation. The county is starting to send other fire depts into our territory for first responder calls along with the nearest Squad, for assistance. But the squad does not always need the help, and a few guys feel like we are getting our faces slapped with the other depts coming into town. Personally I do not want to be a first responder but I will if need to be, and other guys are just shutting their pagers off to totally avoid the first responder call (which i think is total horse shit) and to just make fire calls or accidents. But they are the first ones to bitch when they did not make the first truck out to the big one because the seen the fire trucks go by there house and not have their pager on. How do we try to get these guys to take the blind folds off and realize the fire service is starting to change and that other resposibilities are starting to be put on the fire dept?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Roy Walker on
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Simple make an S O P that says you must make a percentage of calls(you figure the number) or pagers will be taken and the member replaced, The S O P should include that members are required to respond to medical emergencies. The chief will be responsible for ruling on all missed calls and may allow some with valid excuses.
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Permalink Reply by Coty Shoemaker on
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This is just my take on it, These days being a firefighter doesn't mean you only fight a fire. in alot of places for instance the call volume is 75% medical and 25% fire/MVA emergencies. I believe to even be a volunteer everyone should have at least basic medical training
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Permalink Reply by Ben "Batman" Barry on
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Personally I believe if your department is going to respond on medical emergencies all member up to and including the chiefs should be at least first responder or even better EMT. It just releives the stress of finding a crew to respond on EMS calls because only 5 guys are EMS certified. As tio getting the guys to understand sit them down and tell them that the fireservice isn't what it used to be. Back 40 years ago it was alll fires no EMS now 60-75 percent of the calls are EMS. Hopefully they will understand.
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Permalink Reply by Gregory Borg on
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Jack,
Take a look at the paid service. Change or die. When the paid fire service took on EMS 30 years ago the men hated it. It now consists of 70% of our calls, more in some places, it is simply part of our jobs. It makes you more valuable to your community. Saving a life on an EMS call or at a fire is still saving a life. Your community will embrace you for it and offer more support when fund raising happens. It is good for everyone. The guys that do not want to change will fade away. Be a change agent and lead your department forward into a new era.
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Permalink Reply by Jack King, Jr on
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Everyone has very valuable points. Thanks alot!
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Permalink Reply by Olivia Jones on
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Jack, awhile back our department had a similar issue with the vols not showing up for anything other than fires or MVA's that came across the pager as extrication needed. Our Chief did what many others have said laid down the law, if you didnt make medicals, you werent running anything. One guy thought he would be slick and hopped a truck, once chief got on scene that member was escorted by cheif off the scene and had his pager and turn out gear taken right then and there.
As to feeling like you are getting you faces slapped by having outher deaprtment covering your calls I have 2 recommendations for you. 1.Have it come in the form of SOP that everyone must be at least first responder (or higher) certified
2. If your department is in the process of responding to the call inform your dispatch that the other department can cancell thier response.
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Olivia I'd be careful cancelling the other units until you are on scene, if ever you failed to get there,mechanical failure or heaven forbid an accident, your tail feathers would be alight.
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Permalink Reply by ashfire on
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My fire company is putting more into recruiting people interested in being EMTs than being firefighter/EMTs.
We recruit that way to besure we have people to ride the ambulance. If we were firefighter only we would not get the ambulance out.
Right now our volunteer crew is just floating along with more officers than crew and also members who have their time or don't have time and don't ride anymore. Most only show for meeting and company training nights or if something special is happening. Rest of the days and nights are covered by career personnel.
We have 10 county career personnel to man both stations that belong to us around the clock because our membership dropped and volunteer responses began to fail even with a career crew of 6 between the stations. Two of the career crew are assigned to the paramedic unit. We run two bls and one als ambulances between our two stations.
When I joined we had a career day crew of 4 and two at night and then one at night and enough live in volunteers to get everything out on a call.
Then we elected a chief who ran the live ins out and most of the membership then requirements started to burnout people and members moved out of the area or died.
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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
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We do not make medical calls so we can make more runs. We make them to serve our community. That's the whole idea. Any department that doesn't take on the responsibility of serving their community to the best of their ability is short-changing their neighbors.
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WOW I am totally surprised by some of the responses. I just hope that if someone you know is having a medical emergency and you have to call 911 you arent in the position that no on in your area comes. The difference between a 5-8 min arrival and a 15 min time can be a life
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Wow! I'm sorry you feel that way. Our guys are motivated through a variety of training and activities. We have a a good cross-section, so I'd say it's unfortunate that you don't have enough folks interested in doing first responder calls. Sounds like you're glad about that.
Personally, I'm very proud to ride the "Band Aid Bus."
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Ditto.
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