Difference between EMT's and Paramedics video

[Just Plain Ruff]

you gotta have two people in the chase car. Would you leave your fully stocked chase car unprotected at a scene in NEW JERSEY, I don't think so.

[BEorP]

you gotta have two people in the chase car. Would you leave your fully stocked chase car unprotected at a scene in NEW JERSEY, I don't think so.

Ok, but why does it take an EMT-P (rather than EMT- to drive a chase car back to the hospital?

[Dustdevil]

Ok, but why does it take an EMT-P (rather than EMT- to drive a chase car back to the hospital?

Because driving the chase car is not his only function. If it were, he wouldn't even need to be an EMT.

An EMT simply brings very little to the table in EMS. And if the purpose of the response car is to get critical care to the scene of emergencies quicker, then it only makes sense to send a crew capable of providing it, not one medic and a driver.

[BEorP]

I guess I will never understand lol.

I'm not trying to be an ass or anything, but right now my preceptor is working on a response car in Toronto (from what I can tell it is basically a "chase car" except that often we go before an ambulance, but we also do back up BLS). She is one ACP and we have done arrests with her as the only advanced provider and have had no real issues. In one case it meant not getting a tube until the pt ROSCed but with the new standards and BLS airway management working fine this shouldn't be an issue. Would things be easier with another ACP on scene to help her? Yes. But is it required? Well I don't know. I'm just a student so I haven't seen everything there is to see obviously. Is there a call where it would be essential to have two advanced providers on?

Basically my point about why have two EMT-Ps on the chase car is that (theoretically) you could double your number of chase cars and decrease response times if you would just have individual EMT-Ps on them since one EMT-P could manage the vast majority of calls they are required for.

[SSG G-man]

Well, maybe they put two sets of ALS equipment in the vehicle, so it could potentialy meet up with two seperate BLS units. Having double the number of vehicles may be too cost prohibabtive. Just a thought.

Sarge

[dahlio]

Ok, but why does it take an EMT-P (rather than EMT- to drive a chase car back to the hospital?

Well, take it from a Jerseyian himself. Some ALS units do have transport units however, most in NJ have SUV's. It does not take another paramedic to drive it. Many times in my volly squad, has an EMT-B driven the paramedic unit, so that they could have two paramedics. In a case like this, a police officer, which responds to pretty much every call, can also drive the ALS unit, whether it's an Ambulance or an SUV.

Although some ALS units do have Ambulances, they very rarely transport in them. They usually have BLS take care of that. I would have thought there would be an issue of liability when someone else is driving the ALS unit, (since this is NJ, and unfortunately not everyone respects the Ambulance's right away) but my crew chief said there isn't much of an issue.

Once again, just my two cents.

[NREMT-Basic]

Great Post and I think Jersey really has a great system.

[medic001918]

Well, maybe they put two sets of ALS equipment in the vehicle, so it could potentialy meet up with two seperate BLS units. Having double the number of vehicles may be too cost prohibabtive. Just a thought.

Sarge

That's exactly how some systems set up with two medics in an intercept car work. One will take the car to the hospital to pick up his partner, but if another call comes in, he responds to that call with a second set of ALS gear in the truck.

Shane

NREMT-P

[Asysin2leads]

Great Post and I think Jersey really has a great system.

NREMT, between the volunteer squad cults, and the ALS provider monopolies, and not so brilliant ideas like Hackensack's trauma unit on wheels, Jersey's system is one of the most flawed in the nation. I've written several posts about it in the past.

[Dustdevil]

She is one ACP and we have done arrests with her as the only advanced provider and have had no real issues.

PCPs are advanced providers, in comparison to an EMT. They can provide IV therapy, which takes half of the workload off of the ACP. In the US, the medic has to do it all because the EMT has no advanced skills. I think that is where your confusion stems from. Differences between US and Canadian systems.