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Permalink Reply by Marc Hansen on February 14, 2008 at 9:22pm

My little county here in PA makes it simple we have 3 private companies and 2 VFD based BLS ambulance companies that handle all EMS calls in the area. Saves the county a bunch of money, which they turn around and spend on things available to all departments in the county(ie...hazmat team, mobile comm bus, MCI trailer, large decon/rehab setup)

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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on February 14, 2008 at 9:28pm

They don't spend much money at all, just the salary of an EMS Coordinator and some training classes here and there. If we want a new ambulance we have to buy it ourselves.

I don't know how it is in your area but here the county has no legal obligation to provide fire or EMS service. Each township is burdened with the responsibility of providing fire coverage, while we do EMS out of the goodness of our hearts.

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Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on February 14, 2008 at 10:18pm

Here the Ambulance Corps is not associated with the FD's. there are 3 independant ambulance associations with the ability to bill for their services, and that along with grants allow them to purchase new rigs. The counties here have little to nothing to do with the emergency services.

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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on February 15, 2008 at 2:08pm

Our ambulances (2) are paid for by splitting the cost between four fire protection districts based on a percentage. Our percentage is 29.3 of the cost. In fact, we just got a new one delivered. We trade one every five years, but hope to extend that with the new one. We'll see. It cost $147,000.
TCSS.
Art

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Permalink Reply by ILDisasterEMT on February 15, 2008 at 6:41pm

Same here, for the most part:

We have 3 ALS agencies, 1 non-911/non-emergent transport and a city fire department with its own ALS rigs in my immediate vicinity. The towns around us contract with certain ambulance agencies to run calls in their area. Before my time with either EMS or FF, the department I am now with had its own BLS rigs, though I dont know how many. Some sort of "bargain" was struck where one of the private agencies houses its ALS rigs in our stations throughout the district. The problem this caused when it was done is that it was not discussed with the FD's EMS personnel and they just showed up one day and found they had been replaced by a private agency. Subsequently, we now have mostly first responder cert holders (Im told some of them let their EMT cert go in protest) if they hold any EMS cert at all, a few EMTs (of which I am one) and to my knowledge, no paramedics. If I were the king of the world, I would like to see us have at a BLS 911-response rig at each of our three stations. It would also cause the medical first responders or at least a good number of them, I think, to go back up to EMT and would increase the level of service that we are able to give. Right now I think it works out there each of the FD's trucks has a medical first responder pack and a BLS jump kit which is only to be handled by EMT-Bs because they contain drugs, such as they are. Yes. I would definitely like to see us get our red ambulances back.

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