Volunteers – Your Job?

[Chief1C]

I knew that would happen. You read that line, and then stopped. It doesn't say every municipality needs an ambulance. Every municipality needs the coverage of police/fire/ambulance. You can have one, you can have a contract with one, or you can have a mutual aid agreement. Not that every town needs their own.

You're on the internet, go look it up yourself. You read it differently than it was typed, which isn't my problem. I could be wrong, it might be just for Pennsylvania. I recall reading wording, to the effect of "every municipality needs to provide proof they are covered by contract or mutual aid agreement, a police dept/fire dept/ambulance service." This while discussing who would take over an area of coverage, that nobody wanted.

[spenac]

I knew that would happen. You read that line, and then stopped. It doesn't say every municipality needs an ambulance. Every municipality needs the coverage of police/fire/ambulance. You can have one, you can have a contract with one, or you can have a mutual aid agreement. Not that every town needs their own.

You're on the internet, go look it up yourself. You read it differently than it was typed, which isn't my problem. I could be wrong, it might be just for Pennsylvania. I recall reading wording, to the effect of "every municipality needs to provide proof they are covered by contract or mutual aid agreement, a police dept/fire dept/ambulance service." This while discussing who would take over an area of coverage, that nobody wanted.

Not trying to pick a fight but there is no nationwide requirement for EMS. It is not considered an essential service. An area does not have to provide it or make mutual aid arrangements or anything. There has been a push to make EMS an essential service but unless I missed something hasn't happened yet. Now there may be states that require it I have not checked into that.

The reason I asked you for the law is I thought you had some new info I had missed since you clearly stated it is required in all the USA.

[Chief1C]

I wouldn't fight about it anyway. Maybe I should have posted that I think this should be a law. I thought it was.. I was wrong. Oh well, I won't lose any sleep over it. Back on subject now..

I get paid to find old crap, mark it on a map, take pictures of it and compare it to photos from the 19th century.

[spenac]

I wouldn't fight about it anyway. Maybe I should have posted that I think this should be a law. I thought it was.. I was wrong. Oh well, I won't lose any sleep over it. Back on subject now..

I get paid to find old crap, mark it on a map, take pictures of it and compare it to photos from the 19th century.

Dude don't get offended just wondered if you knew of a new law. Geez take a chill pill.

[Chief1C]

I'm not offended. I was just thinking about something. Heh.

[mcmedic18]

Don't want to beat a dead horse here but, in Ohio, government entities are under no legal obligation to provide EMS service. I know this first hand because when I was a member of the Board of Trustees for the local non-profit EMS Corp. which was under contract with our county to provide those services, the county commisioners decided to stop any funding for us and end the contract. When the question of them being required to provide EMS service came up, we were advised that the Ohio Attorney General had made a ruling that they were not required by law to do so. As a result of this, the individual townships had to come up with a plan to provide the service if they wanted EMS coverage. Several of them formed a joint ambulance district and one, (the one that I am a member of) merged EMS with the Fire Dept.

On another topic, Duke you say that you have no use for the NAEMT. While I respect your opinion on this, I have to ask if you have checked them out recently? The organization is currently in the process of changing their by-laws so that the Board of Directors is elected directly from and by the membership. I cannot dispute what you say about the organization because I am a relatively new member, but it seems to me that this step may change how things are done. I am willing to give it a chance. I believe that the only way for us to gain the status that we deserve is to band together and work towards that goal. The only way to do that is through a National Organization and I know of no other than NAEMT. If there are others out there, I would like to find them so please pass this info on to me. If enough of us join and become active, we can change the way things are done and work to improve our status.

[Ridryder 911]

On another topic, Duke you say that you have no use for the NAEMT. While I respect your opinion on this, I have to ask if you have checked them out recently? The organization is currently in the process of changing their by-laws so that the Board of Directors is elected directly from and by the membership. I cannot dispute what you say about the organization because I am a relatively new member, but it seems to me that this step may change how things are done. I am willing to give it a chance. I believe that the only way for us to gain the status that we deserve is to band together and work towards that goal. The only way to do that is through a National Organization and I know of no other than NAEMT. If there are others out there, I would like to find them so please pass this info on to me. If enough of us join and become active, we can change the way things are done and work to improve our status.

I do not promote NAEMT as well. They have been known and continue to be known as a piss poor representation of EMS. Unfortunately, it is the newbies that help support their funding, and prevents a true professional organization representing our profession.

I have yet seen any advantage NAEMT has produced over the past 30 years. In fact I have seen the disadvantages and regression they have promoted. As long as the current board of directors, officers, still elect each other and promote each other it will continue to do so. No matter if they change their operations, etc.. it is the same operations. NAEMT has such a horrible and pathetic reputation among most professionals it would be better to scrap everything and re-start all over.

This is a far cry from other medical professional organizations, that I am a member of. Yes, I endorse such organizations, but unfortunately EMS does not have one I could say I would belong to.

R/r 911

[mcmedic18]

Ryder,

As I said earlier, I am a new member of NREMT, but am far from being a "newbie" having been in EMS for 28 years. Maybe I am way off base with my support of the org.. If that is the case, then maybe we, as a whole, need to start a new organization to accomplish our goal of gaining the status as a profession that we all want. The problem is that most of us do not have the time or background to do this. That being said, I still think that if enough like minded people joined NAEMT and worked together, we could change it.

Maybe it's a pipedream, but change has to start somewhere.

[mcmedic18]

Follow this link to read an interesting take on this subject. http://www.jems.com/news_and_articles/arti...d_Identity.html

[ForeverEMT]

I currently volunteer with the Red Cross and there Emergency services team. Right now i am in the process of getting my EMT and am going to become a paramedic. My job as of now is working at a neck and back clinic as an office asst. can you believe that? I hate it but hey it pays the bills right? :roll: