Are volunteer BLS services beneficial?

[brentoli]

Out of all the professions on earth, ours is the only one where there are a significant number of people claiming that we even need this. And, of course, out of all those professions, ours is the one that sucks most. Coincidence? I think not.

Again, do what we have always done and we will only get what we've always gotten. After thirty-five years, there is absolutely no excuse for not growing professionally. And we have not, thanks to this "volunteer BLS" nonsense.

What about volunteer ALS? Is it better?

[rock_shoes]

Volunteerism has no place in EMS. How are we ever supposed to be viewed as professionals if a large group of our own just "give it away"? I realize people do this with the best of intentions but the results are detrimental to the progression of EMS as a whole.

[medic1963]

In a rural setting, I think volunteer units can be beneficial due to the low number of ALS trucks on a given shift. The BLS unit can handle the bs calls that would normally tie up the ALS trucks so they can respond to the calls that need the ALS side.

With that said, I must admit that the rescue squad I run with has gotten away from what the original intent was, rescue. I am certed as a rescue tech (RT) with specialties in swift/surface water, low angle rope, confined space, and SAR. The problem is, due to the squad going more towards the medical side, I rarely get to use what I have been trained for. I feel if the rescue squads, at least the one I run with, would get back to more rescue, the overall reception of volunteers would be better. Of course the downfall to that would be fire depts would see volunteers as competition.

[JonathanGennick]

Volunteerism has no place in EMS. How are we ever supposed to be viewed as professionals if a large group of our own just "give it away"? I realize people do this with the best of intentions but the results are detrimental to the progression of EMS as a whole.

In the software world, professionals give things away all the time. The discussion software on which this site runs is given away for free. This site is hosted on Pair Networks. The operating system they use is given away free. The web server they use is given away free. Etc. Etc.

Lawyers do pro bono work. I know of some doctors who do several weeks each of unpaid work each year.

I am not so sure we should be so quick to lay the blame for all that is messed up in EMS at the feet of those who volunteer.

And FWIW, as communities raise the bar in terms of what they want, I suspect the number of volunteers will fade as a matter of course. It's one thing to volunteer when you need only a couple hundred hours of training, and when run volume is low. But as the run volume increases, and as training/education requirements increase, it becomes less and less feasible economically for anyone but a professional to volunteer their time.

I don't mean to stray off topic. I just don't like reflexive, volunteer-bashing.

[JonathanGennick]

As a strictly on-topic reply, I just to say that yes, I find volunteers helpful. I work in a rural county with low-population density. In key, outlying communities, we have volunteer first-responders. They are EMTs (mostly Basics, but at least one is an Intermediate) who agree to keep a pager handy when they are in their home area. They cannot transport, but they otherwise have rigs with all the same BLS gear as we have. I can think of three recent runs off the top of my head in which these first-responders have made a significant difference in patient care and outcome.

Strictly speaking though, our first-responder teams are not entirely volunteer. We call them "paid-volunteers", which is an oxymoron if I've ever heard one, but it's the term on their pay-sheets. They do get paid for each call that they run on. So far as I'm aware, there are no strict volunteers working EMS in my county. We are all paid, some by the hour, and some by the call.

[ccmedoc]

Of course, you also have to define the term "EMS". Are you talking about emergency ambulance service, or just first responders? Those are completely different concepts. The latter, EMTs are qualified for. The former, they are not qualified for.

Absolutely the best answer for your question. Short and to the point.

They would be beneficial in the rural setting for first response only. to be used as an adjunct to paid, full time ALS..not a replacement. No BLS transporting volunteers, just as first responders.

Opinion

[bluedevil620]

In a perfect world maybe......but I know in our small town that even with these amateur volunteers, our paid ALS are stretched to the max on any given day.....and if it weren't for these volunteers, they would be ran to death and their care would be less than mediocre. We have a good relationship with the volunteers in the county and they do help take up the shortfall of our paid EMS system.

[Dustdevil]

In a perfect world maybe......but I know in our small town that even with these amateur volunteers, our paid ALS are stretched to the max on any given day.....and if it weren't for these volunteers, they would be ran to death and their care would be less than mediocre. We have a good relationship with the volunteers in the county and they do help take up the shortfall of our paid EMS system.

I'm not sure that really equals "beneficial" though.

There is a big difference between them actually being beneficial to your community, and your community just using them to avoid providing the professional coverage they should provide in the first place. If volunteers and basics are being utilised by your community as an excuse to not bring your service up to professional standards, that is a detriment, not a benefit.

[EMTrocker]

Why not lobby the hospital and get some volunteer Doctors and Nurses to ride the ambulance?

[scratrat]

Why not lobby the hospital and get some volunteer Doctors and Nurses to ride the ambulance?

Are you serious? Think about that for a second while it permeates your brain. VOLUNTEER doctors or nurses? You must be kidding, right? I can see that happening. :roll: