Multiple agency response

[Nate]

We don't see FD that often, and when we do they usually stay outside of the house until they are asked to come in and help. If they arrive first, then who ever was in charge will stay while the ambulance crew takes care of the patient and the FD incharage gives report. If we do have cops, they usually just move out of the way, but stay close by if the patient is a threat.

Typically I prefer to have as little people in there as they distract the patient. If you feel that there are two many people on scene, maybe you should talk to a supervisor or some higher rank about limiting the number of people that are there.

[RaceMedic]

I think having a fire engine respond to anything medical is a complete waste of resources and money they can't transport and what if a fire happens and there is a delay in an ambulance arrival??? they are stuck.. thats not what a fire engine is designed for so why use it as such. if they want to respond first responce buy an ambulance.

I like having PD onscene. Kinda nice for crowd control. and i don't know about your dispatchers but ours can't see through the phone to make sure that its not the upset crazy person who just lost a person close to them and is blaming EMS for it and is going to take it out on who ever respondes to their 911 call. OR the family of a child that dies and takes it out on you on scene. Cops have a purpose, and guns, and tazers, and ASP's, and cuffs and lets not forget the most important of all.... The authority to use them.

We are an ALS transport service so we do not have to deal with BLS and intercepts. but if we do need help we do have a crew on stand by tha responds to us so PD and SO can do their jobs and not worry about us...

Be Safe

Race

[Coach Hohman]

We are a rural BLS/ALS unit with a fire department that first responds for us. They go everywhere we go and vice versa. If it's difficulty breating, they're there and if it's a working structure fire, we're there for them. It doesn't cause many problems, but I can see why you would say it's a waste of resources. Usually we get 2-3 firemen on a brush truck with O2, an AED and a basic first response kit. Most of the time, it's nice to have them there if we need a driver, extra man power, or someone to work the radio communications with dispatch. I would say they're pretty good about staying out of our way, but they're usually close enough that if we need them to go for something or help lift/move they're there. We don't have any problems with them running in wearing full gear or anything, they wear bunkers for MVA's, but usually are in jeans or work pants and a FD shirt on scene. I would say we have a pretty good working relationship with them, but we've done a lot to get that respect, and vice versa. It may seem like a waste of resources, but with 20 minute response times from station to the edge of our district, it's nice to have them there and not needed, than need them and wait another 20 minutes.

[Just Plain Ruff]

unfortunately, the times we live in is that once a fire department starts to respond on calls with the ambulance then the public begins to have an expectation that the FD responds to all calls be they fire calls, ems or wrecks.

Once your fire department starts responding and it becomes expected - no if's ands or buts.

The public is so critical of tax money being spent that they do not want a bunch of firemen sitting in their station waiting for a fire which if I have heard right that about 5% of all calls for service for the fire department are fire related and the other 95% are medical and non fire calls.

The public will begin to question just what are those pretty red trucks and those buff firemen doing all day- sitting and doing nothing all day. That's the perception of some people.

the public also begins to become vocal and critical when the fire department has a station with fire fighters who are EMT's and a cardiac arrest or some type of critical call and the firefighters stay in the station while grandma or gramps or mom or dad or the 3 year old who drowns in the back yard pool. The public can be a brutal voice and unfortunately we can never win.