The Private Ambulance Service Thread

[Richard B the EMT]

It is my hope that everyone comes to the realization, that any ambulance service, even non transporting first responders, as well as non 9-1-1 ambulance service providers, are part of the Emergency Medical Service SYSTEM!

Everyone has a part to play, as witnessed by the assortment of services, even out of their jurisdictions, that responded to the Golden Venture, the bombing of the parking garage at the World Trade Center, the September 11th Attack on the WTC, and American Airlines Flight 587's crash into my neighborhood. These are the ones known to me, and I feel sure that other longtimers have their own recollections of a multi-agency and jurisdictional response to some local "Big One" in their backyard.

[StickEm]

I work for a Pvt Co. and am very pleased so far. The owners are all family, and are comitted to the employees. They are constantly accomodating everyone's needs and scheduling issues.

The pay and retirement plans aren't quite as nice as in the big, deep-pocketed counties, but hey, it's a trade-off. YOu could be just another number with some public service, and as such, subject to public and private scrutiny, and make $40,000/ yr, or you could make $6,000 less and actually know you are somebody to your bosses. They treat you like family, not underlings. The folks that run our company are all advanced-level paramedics, period.

We have four 911 trucks and provide all emergency medical to our county, (3 ALS and one BLS,) We have two BLS transport trucks and one ALS for IFTs.

If the county goes to pot, the ALS unit goes 10-41 and covers.

If there is an ALS transfer, and the ALS transfer truck is not available, one of the ALS units from 911 handles it. It's a pretty sweet set-up. The county's FD accompanies all CPs, person-down, MVCs, and that kind of stuff, so manpower is not a problem.

We also have two FT 911 ALS units in another county which is more rural.

We all know that the money-makers are the IFTs, but the owners do a great job of balancing it all out. I have friends who work as EMT/FFs in my home county, and though they love it, they have admitted it all feels kind of impersonal and political at times.

Unions, boards of commissioners, John Q. Public griping about you wasting tax-dollars, etc...

-That's what is missing from private service.

[Goldielocks19]

Private ambulances respond to calls that volunteer & 911 don't want anyway....if anything i am happy when i see one roll up....means one less BLS DNR senior or bedridden patient for me, leaving more true emerganices for 911. As an ex-private i know it sucks! Pay is horrible, you have to pay for all your own equipment (I had to pay for my own regulator) & usually the company is out for money & not quality patient care.

Lets not even start with the lack of respect issue....private is unfortunately the red-headed step child of EMS.

[Asysin2leads]

Ones 911 don't want? Wow, lol, that's some mighty interesting coverage you have there.

[Dustdevil]

...you have to pay for all your own equipment (I had to pay for my own regulator)...

Or what?

I challenge that statement.

[Richard B the EMT]

Or what?

I challenge that statement.

Back in the day, for me, it was, pay for a personal whatever, or risk losing your EMT certification when the state DoH would find you without required equipment list items.

I am not saying it was correct, but it was as it was.

[GulDukat]

Sadly I've heard of this happening as well.

Now there is a huge huge difference between purchasing a supply item that you want versus being forced to purchase something you are required to have.

Example: Your service is required to carry a stethoscope per your state and local rules. The company you work for buys cheap sprague style stethoscopes that you think are junk so you purchase a littman cardioscope.

That would be an example of want, not need.

Example 2: Your service is required to carry Portable oxygen per your state and local rules. The company you work for provides on board oxygen but says if you want a portable you have to provide your own.

This is an example of need, not want.

I have never hidden the fact that I come from the Private sector, and yes bring on the boo's I'm one of those... ahem... administrators.

So I will say this. Any Ambulance service that requires it's workers (either payed, volunteer or other) to purchase state mandated equipment deserves to have their service shut down.

That goes for Private, Hospital, Fire Department, County, City, whatever.

But I will say this, in our world we live in, we are required to be frugal. Frugal does not mean cheap by the way.

So if your service doesn't provide every member of the department with gold plated O2 keys that does not make them a bad service.

However if they require you to purchase your own o2 keys, well then that might be an indicator that they may be a bad service.

Why do I feel a series of "you might be a bad service if...." jokes coming on?

Anyway on the overall tone of the thread I will say that frankly I am stunned. I honestly figured that we would have had far more political in-fighting or name calling or something.

This has been about like going to church compared to the fire department thread.

I'll let it ride a while longer then I think I'll throw in some thoughts on the subject myself.

[Dustdevil]

Employers are kinda like girlfriends. You can love them for what they are, or you can love them for what they have the potential to be. In EMS, private industry (including hospital based) holds the most all-round potential. Yes, some major changes need to be seen in EMS and the insurance industry before all of that potential is realised. But that day is coming, slowly but surely.

Ever notice that anybody who gets the choice would rather go to a private hospital than a public (county, VA, military) hospital? Ever notice that most nurses and doctors would also rather work at those private hospitals? Hmmm... I wonder why that is?

Ever notice that the best, most prestigious, sought after, and expensive (best paying) universities are PRIVATE universities? Ever notice the rich and powerful send their kids to PRIVATE schools instead of the local ISD?

Ever notice that most attorneys only spend a couple of years as a DA or PD before rushing off to PRIVATE practice for a better job, making better money? If you find yourself on the wrong side of the iron bars, would you rather have the Public Defender or the Board Certified criminal trial attorney in PRIVATE practice?

Are we seeing a pattern here yet? There is nothing inherently wrong with private industry running vital services. Hell, in fact the government contracts most of their really important projects out to the PRIVATE sector. Who do you think is the better, more cost effective provider between FedEx and the US Postal Service? See my point?

The problem is not private industry. The problem is EMS itself! When EMS grows up and begins to reach its potential, it will be like every other industry. The private sector will not only be the better provider, but it will also be the better employer.

Unfortunately, this -- as all issues in EMS do -- goes right back to the education issue. Our lack of education holds us back. The government pays people a living wage not because they are worth it. Look at what the meter maids and subway ticket takers make in Boston or New York. They pay them a living wage simply because they are a jobs programme for the otherwise unemployable. Conversely, private industry pays people well when they are worth it. When they provide a service that is of significant value to the mission. Right now, we simply aren't worth it. Anybody with a month or three of night school can do our job. The supply greatly outpaces the demand. And thanks to that, way too many who enter this field are simply not interested in being a medical professional. They just want a civil servant job they can sit on for twenty years and retire, and without having to get "all that book learnin."

Yeah, as long as all we are is dime-a-dozen labourers, like street pavers or trash collectors, then sure... the city is the best thing going. But good luck finding true professionals of any profession rushing to work for the city instead of private industry.

Keep fighting the good fight, Duke. I'd love to work for you.

[JPINFV]

^

I don't know what they pay meter maids in Boston, but I hope it's better than minimum wage. From what I've seen [thankfully I don't drive that much], they are damn good and efficient at their job. There's nothing like seeing a line of cars with tickets 5 minutes after no parking goes into effect.

[Richard B the EMT]

When I stated I purchased some state equipment list items, they went home with me at tour's end. I was "protecting" myself.

The company I was then with, if it could have done so, would have sent each ambulance out with 3 wheels instead of 4. After I left, the company got hit bad by the state inspector, when they were caught passing off a D cylinder with regulator, at the foot of the driveway, from one ambulance to another as one left and the next arrived, which almost had 6 ambulances assigned the same tank and regulator had they not been caught. If I remember, the state "closed" the service down for a full "on floor" inspection. That translated to all 25 ambulances being lined up, and not being allowed to leave until being checked for minimum required equipment, and 4 didn't meet the specs, and another 3 were ordered off the road for replacement due to vehicle deficiencies (are brakes REALLY needed on a van?).

NO! I was not the one to turn them in. I only threatened to go to Jimmy Breslin, then of the New York Daily News, but I didn't.