Quarters: do you have them?

[gnomedic]

I'm curious as to how many companies out there have a sleeping quarters. If so, how often do you get to go there and actually sleep during a 24? Are you on a private or not? Or are you like me, in a company that doesn't have a quarters for the 24 hr crews and are forced to sleep upright in the driver's chair, on the stretcher, or the bench seat? Is it even legal to not have a sleeping quarters for a 24hr crew?

-Illinois, private ambulance co.

[Richard B the EMT]

I'm just retired from FDNY EMS Command. We "stage" from a street corner, 8 hours at a time, 3 tours a day, 24/7/365. Some of our tour one (00:00-08:00)people would like to have a bed in quarters, but that, unfortunately, is not to be.

Most times, if you have one of the 2 person team awake, the other can grab a quick cat-nap, while the other monitors the radio. Take turns, but just hope nobody who doesn't like ambulance crews isn't lurking with a cell phone camera.

FYI, the most any personnel on one of our ambulances can consecutively work is 16 hours. They have to take off the next 8, as per the contract. Years ago, a few of our crazies would work a "double", from 08:00 to 24:00 on Saturday night, but as Sunday was the start of the new work week, they then would work 00:00 to 08:00. As it was 2 pay week periods, nobody except a few supervisors would know. Nowadays, the supervisor, as well as the personnel doing the unofficial 24, would be written up, the supervisor for failure to supervise.

[Medic One]

As far as the legality of not having sleeping areas for crews....I doubt you'll find any law for that. If your a union shop you may be able to fight for that but you'll screw yourself. Management will then just say no more 24hr shifts. I don't think it's an issue you should even fight because there is a 90% chance you'll get shafted. Plus you need to fill us in to some questions to possibly help you.

Do you get a night differential?

Do you voluntarily work 24s?

Do you work a 24 and 16 or 2 24s

with 8hrs built in OT each week?

Are you FT or PT?

What is your call load per shift?

As far as us:

We have a nice HQ with day room, kitchen, wifi, and offices on main floor. On the second floor is the training center and two bunk rooms with three beds each, lockers and showers. We are able to sleep after 2200hrs.

We are a municipal ALS 911 only service. We do not use system status management (posting in street corners).

We work 12 and 16hr shifts with an occasional 24 for scheduling issues so it's nice only having a three day work week with a set schedule. Each one of us are assigned one overnight shift a week to have one 16 and two 12s making our 40hr week.

We cover 33sq miles with about 30,000 residents. We have two major highways, railroad, an about 5 miles of beach front that attracts many from other towns.

We do about 2800 calls a year.

Edited May 8, 2011 by Medic One

[Emtpbill]

Just outside Philly, I am doing a 24 starting at 06:00 tomorrow. I will get in around 5:50am, check my truck out, sign the Narcs in the other trucks, and hopefully by 7:00 am will be back to sleep.

We have 2 "bunkrooms" each room has 1 single bed and a bunkbed setup, also each room has cable TV and is climate controlled. If a call comes in the tones set off the claxton and turns on the lights in the bunkrooms.

In a 24 hour shift I hope to sleep 10 hours. Maybe not straight through, could happen, but probably 5 hour blocks, EMS Gods be willing.

[hatelilpeepees]

Be careful, it is these type questions that will get your 24s turned to 12's or 13's in a minute. I know we all think EMS stands for Earn Money Sleeping, but if you are working at a job where you can work a 24 and sleep, you will soon be privatized or have your hours cut. No one can afford to pay people to sleep in this economy.

[Medic One]

Agreed with you statement there. We would love to do 24s but by contract we can't work more than 18 usually. 24s are very rare for us only in extreme scheduling issues. I would love to be on 24s but I'm not complaining in my position.

For those complaining about 24 as I said before be careful or you can loose them.

[WolfmanHarris]

We work 12's. We have stations that we deploy out of, but use a dynamic deployment plan that sees us moving to other stations to cover them off. Sometimes that means making tours of a half dozen stations all night, sometimes it's just cover off one for an hour and return depending on demand.

All of the stations have a crew room with couches, tv, a kitchenette (sans stove) and kitchen table and chairs as well as an office with a desk and computer. Back in the Ministry of Health days the rule was we could "rest" but not sleep. That's has sort of continued since the download to the Upper Tier Municipalities (counties) so while we do sleep whenever we get a chance at nights, we only have a sofa per person, not beds.

I know one service (Hamilton) has beds in their stations, but ironically they're so busy anyone I know who works there says they barely see them. A few medics have brought in cots or mattresses to keep in the locker room. Long term I'd love to see us negotiate some improved facilities, but we're a small part of our bargaining unit so I don't have high hopes.

[Chief1C]

No, but I have about fifty pounds of Pennies. We don't have sleeping ones either, flood plain.

[fiznat]

Just outside Philly, I am doing a 24 starting at 06:00 tomorrow. I will get in around 5:50am, check my truck out, sign the Narcs in the other trucks, and hopefully by 7:00 am will be back to sleep.

We have 2 "bunkrooms" each room has 1 single bed and a bunkbed setup, also each room has cable TV and is climate controlled. If a call comes in the tones set off the claxton and turns on the lights in the bunkrooms.

In a 24 hour shift I hope to sleep 10 hours. Maybe not straight through, could happen, but probably 5 hour blocks, EMS Gods be willing.

About the exact same setup as me. We work 12 hr shifts here for the most part, but the bunk room arrangement is the same. I love getting my early morning nap! lol

[PCP]

We have different shift patterns from 11hr, 12hr, and 13, 12, and 14hr night shifts. We have two bedrooms with two beds in each room. Typically we don't get much sleep on nights when working on the Alpha car (full time car), but on the Kilo shift it is usually a little slower. But you still don't get much sleep if you are staying at the station while on the back up car (Kilo car) because the full time car is usually busy enough that the crew is in and out of the station most of the night. So you get to hear their pagers go off.

I am there to work not sleep and the busier we are the better!