EMS Union Upset About Proposed Changes

Actually, this will increase the number of responders on the road - and NO - I am not a fan of Abramson nor have I ever voted for him. He screwed up royally putting EMS into Fire, originally, had he left it alone, we'd have continued to have a superb urban EMS. Richmond had an excellent reputation with the EMS providers in New York (yeah, I've got friends there - they were moaning about losing him) - so he can do the job, IF the administration would let him and not have so many reasons why he can't do this, can't do that ....

Most EMS calls do NOT need emergency transport - although the city has never figured out how to effectively say NO - although most other Urban EMS have no problem doing it. And virtually 100 percent of the time, if they do proper EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch) - as they are certified to do - they'll know immediately if it will mean a transport or not. With a chase car, the paramedic can get there faster, and start treatment, while the ambulance is dispatched if needed - and again, they'll generally know if they are going to need them when they get the call.

In other words, the proper use of chase cars is the best idea I've seen yet. EMS's biggest problem is that they aren't willing to PAY for experienced paramedics, they say they will pay for experience, but if you go down and apply, you find out that they don't really mean it - there are so many exceptions that literally no one is eligible - so they aren't going to draw paramedics from other places as Richmond originally intended. (And I doubt he even knows why he can't attract paramedics from other services.)