Private ems paying fire depts to ride in

[a918emt]

I have been doing this for 3 years as an EMT and am still flabberghasted that we pay fire dept's to ride in with us. Most are pretty cool about it and ride in when necessary. BUT 2 neighboring cities where I work ride in on almost everything, guessing for the bucks. My medic is an 18 year veteran, its not like he is new and needs someone to sit with him and stare at the patient as I drive to the hospital which is (guessing) 95% of the time.

[JPINFV]

Just wondering, does the fire department get extra money for riding along on the call or are you talking about the fire department using EMS to justify additional government funding (not insurance/medicare reimbursement) by duplicating services.

If they do get a cut of any insurance payment, who has the final say if a fire medic rides along during a transport?

[a918emt]

As far as I know its not from the insurance, we pay the fire dept's to ride in to "help" the medic with certain calls. They get paid a set $ amount for each ride in. On some I can see them riding in - codes, resp distress etc but when we pay them big bucks to ride in on things like possible stroke with stroke history previous deficits 90 yo from nursing home a&0x1 normal for pt or possible seizure with no postitcal state on scene no incontinence pt a&ox4 etc 5 minutes from the hospital line established same drugs in our ride as they have it is in a lot of our opinions not necessary. For them to ride in twice on one of my shifts is more than I make on that shift.

The fire dept has the final say if they will ride in. Most in my city ask and if my medic says no they respect his judgement and skill, and vice versa if they don't plan on riding in and he thinks he may need an extra hand he asks. A few outskirt cities make it a habit of riding in on anything als - which is almost every call because they start a line on almost anything. Literally. And sometimes the hospitals do want lines just because. Crazy thing is, most of the time as soon as we get the pt in the bed they cap it off! LOL! oh well.

The fire dept is separate but is dispatched code 3 to 99% of the calls. We are dispatched with them, by them but normally code 2 on 99% of the calls.

Does that help?

[JakeEMTP]

We have on a very few occasions utilised a FF to drive us in. I have never heard of a EMT driving with a FF and a medic in the back. :?

[spenac]

As far as I know its not from the insurance, we pay the fire dept's to ride in to "help" the medic with certain calls. They get paid a set $ amount for each ride in. On some I can see them riding in - codes, resp distress etc but when we pay them big bucks to ride in on things like possible stroke with stroke history previous deficits 90 yo from nursing home a&0x1 normal for pt or possible seizure with no postitcal state on scene no incontinence pt a&ox4 etc 5 minutes from the hospital line established same drugs in our ride as they have it is in a lot of our opinions not necessary. For them to ride in twice on one of my shifts is more than I make on that shift.

The fire dept has the final say if they will ride in. Most in my city ask and if my medic says no they respect his judgement and skill, and vice versa if they don't plan on riding in and he thinks he may need an extra hand he asks. A few outskirt cities make it a habit of riding in on anything als - which is almost every call because they start a line on almost anything. Literally. And sometimes the hospitals do want lines just because. Crazy thing is, most of the time as soon as we get the pt in the bed they cap it off! LOL! oh well.

The fire dept is separate but is dispatched code 3 to 99% of the calls. We are dispatched with them, by them but normally code 2 on 99% of the calls.

Does that help?

I have never heard of something so idiotic. Great to be able to call if need help but what you describe is stealing from the patient and tax payers.

[a918emt]

We have on a very few occasions utilised a FF to drive us in. I have never heard of a EMT driving with a FF and a medic in the back. :?

Not yankin your chain! All our ambo's in most of the cities are staffed with an emt-d and a medic. The emt always drives and the medic always rides in the back. If medic needs help fire "rides in" ie 1-3 FF's jump in the back to help and the rest follow in the engine. Fire has medical control until they deem it ok to hand pt care over to us. Like I said most are cool around my area but some take it way too far.

[a918emt]

I have never heard of something so idiotic. Great to be able to call if need help but what you describe is stealing from the patient and tax payers.

I totally agree with you on the idiotic part! And yea they are getting paid double - by the tax payers and us! No wonder the pay sucks and pizza delivery guys/gals make more. One emt quit after getting a part time job delivering pizzas and figured out they could make more doing that LOL!

Don't get me wrong - I love my job, the people I work with, the fire crews. Its just frustrating when I can't get supplies and getting paid so little when I know how much money rolls out every day for things that are allready being paid for. :shock:

[Dustdevil]

Start looking for a new area to move too. Your company is on its last leg. The FDs will be taking over completely within a couple of years. They've already somehow wrestled "control" of medical decision making. Now, all they need to do is present the statistics of how many runs they are making, and how many patients they "have to" (even though they are the ones deciding) ride in with to prove to the politicos that they should be running the whole show, from the ground up. That will happen. And when it does, you will become nothing more than an ambulance driver for nursing home transfers, and other patients that the firemonkeys don't think are worth their time.

[Ridryder 911]

I agree with Dust, unfortunately your management did not have the mentality or gonads to stand up and stop it.

I do wonder if upper city management is aware they are "double dipping" while on duty? It would appear they are getting paid double for their primary job. I am sure the public would not appreciate them receiving double pay. A little anonymous phone call to a city reporter might get the ball rolling..

Good luck..

R/r 911

[pmedic623]

1-3 FF's jump in the back to help and the rest follow in the engine.

Sounds a bit like a clown car complete with real firemonkey's......623