This past Friday I got my large French Vanilla ice coffee light with cream and with four Splendas, set my iPod to listen to podcasts, and hit the road to Baltimore for the EMS Today Conference in Baltimore. The trip was pretty uneventful, making one stop at the Walt Whitman rest area for… well… rest, and arrived in Baltimore around 12:15.

I parked by the M&T Bank Stadium (where parking for conference attendees was free) and walked the 4 or so blocks over to the convention center. Once there I checked in to get my conference badge from Lauren who was extremely helpful and answered all my important questions… namely where I could find the restroom. Did I mention I drink large coffees? So of course right after that break, I got an ice coffee from the lobby Starbucks, where I was glad to see that the decline in customer service at Starbucks was not just a New York City phenomenon.

Once done there, I descended to where the exposition hall was. Going down the escalator was what looked to be an 8-10 foot tall banner from Zoll touting some of their exhibits… including a panel for The Chronicles of EMS. I have to say that it is great when innovators support innovators, and that was just one of many examples of that I saw while there.

Entering into the exhibit hall I went left and began going up and down the aisles checking out vendors and their products. I’ve gotten pretty used to doing exhibitions, so I walk in the middle of the aisle unless I see something I’m interested in. If a vendor throws a hook my way in an attempt to real me in, I’ll generally start off by asking, “What’s the price point?” which usually makes them wince. I’m not a fluff kind of guy, I’m all about the bottom line. This is kind of my way of really saying “I’m not interested in your product which is probably overpriced, but thanks anyway,” and most of them back off. I was pleasantly surprised that there weren’t very many of those at all.

Finally I reached the Zoll booth which was actually right by the entrance only in the complete opposite direction from where I had headed when I first walked in. As I looped around the booth grabbing some literature and checking out the latest Zoll innovations, I found myself looking at none other than Ted Setla (@Setla).

So I approached him and said, “Hey, I know you!”

He looked at me with a slight look of fear before there was that spark of recognition… and thus began the rush of meeting face to face those who I’ve been conversing with over the past 11 months or so. Ted and I talked briefly about his set-up and what was going on so far at the show. He explained that Justin and Mark were down the aisle at the live podcast for EMS Garage (@emsgarage), and then I was able to turn an old partner of mine who spotted me there onto Ted and the Chronicles of EMS.

Leaving Ted to continue to swoon the passerbys at the Chronicles of EMS Booth, I wandered down to where the EMS Garage was doing a live podcast. It was a standing room only crowd, so I stood off to one side in order to get a good view. Then I worried that I might be violating fire code by blocking a fire lane because it was pretty crowded for the podcast, and I moved closer to a a beautiful tall redhead who I completely accidentally bumped into. She turned to me, turned away, and then quickly turned back and said, “Oh my god. I know you.” I had literally just bumped into soon to be Paramedic Epi_Junky of Pink Warm and Dry. Imagine that coincidence!

The live podcast was featuring Justin Schorr (@thehappymedic) and Mark Glencourse (@ukmedic999) who had to depart mid-stream for their presentation back at the booth Ted was holding down. The host Chris Montera (@geekymedic) then called up Jamie Davis (@podmedic) and… of all people… me to come up and join him!!!

You can watch the video that was live streamed of the podcast by clicking on the picture above

After extolling the virtues of Social Media for EMS Agencies and soliciting fertilization for my farm in Farmville, I finally had the opportunity to actually meet Jamie and Chris who are incredibly passionate about EMS and Social Media. There can be no better advocates for that marriage than those who are turning out high quality content… and those two are definitely at the top of the list.

While basking in the afterglow of the live podcast I also was finally able to meet the fabulous Chris Kaiser (@ckemtp) who I constantly find myself nodding in agreement to his blog posts and I found myself doing the same thing in his presence as well. I was also afforded the opportunity to finally meet Rhett Fleitz (@firecritic) who I’ve corresponded with numeorus times about all sorts of issues and his podcast partner John Mitchell (firedaily). This was closely followed by meeting Justin Schorr and having a nice conversation with him about the going ons and how word about #CoEMS is spreading. At this point, pretty much everyone went their own way with plans to meet up later that night at the big Blogger/Tweeter Meetup… and I once again found a restroom. Did I mention the Starbucks Coffee was large too?

After using the fine facilities in the exhibit hall, I still had about an hour before me lecture to kill, so I found a nice comfy spot on the second (third?) floor. While I was there checking Twitter and some e-mail, I was approached by none other than the EMS Blogfather Kelly Grayson (@ambodriver) and his friend. I don’t remember exactly what was said, because I was in shock that THE Kelly Grayson had felt the need to come over and introduce himself to me. It was a shocker moment which I shared on Twitter:

My girlfriend was concerned by that tweet, and called me. That conversation went something like this:

Her: Is everything okay?
Me: I just met Kelly Grayson!
Her: Kelly who?
Me: The EMS Blogfather, Kelly Grayson!
Her: I have no idea who that is.
Me: You know the book that sits ontop of my computer? He’s the one who wrote it!
Her: Oh. Cool!

Now I’m not always the sharpest tack in the box, because after that conversation with her I realized that I also potentially met another iconic EMS Blogger who prefers to preserve his anonymity. I happen to have alot of respect for anonymous bloggers because I think others undervalue or overlook their contributions simply because they don’t use their real name. It’s not the blogger’s identity that matters, but the content that they produce. Anonymous bloggers usually have to build a bridge of trust from the ground up by providing solid reliable information instead of the trust that gets afforded to you when you disclose your name and service. So a hat tip to that gentleman for remaining fiercely independent.

So after my session, which ironically (or not) was about Social Media, I headed over to where the big EMS Blogger Meetup was at the Pizzeria Uno. There I got to continue chatting with those I had met earlier as well as finally actually meet Mark Glencourse, and we even shared a Kodak moment that you can see somewhere out there on the internet. I have to be honest, the excitment that Ted, Justin, and Mark have for the Chronicles of EMS is not only off the charts but damn near contagious, and that can be a strong catalyst for the change we need.

I also had the opportunity to meet Mike Ward (@fossilmedic), Chris Eldridge (@thedridge), Sebastian Wong (@sebwong) and Carissa O’Brien (@carissao) who insists that I trademark my eyebrow. The conversation was interesting, the gossip about who else was going to join the “FireEMSBlogs.com” lineup was entertaining, the experience enlightening, and the food was delish.

Unfortunately, the clock struck 10 and it was time for me to make my departure since I still had a 4 hour drive ahead of me after my 1.7 kilometer walk back to my truck. Leaving such fine company was a bit sorrowful. There were conversations that had started online concluded, and in their place new ones arose in person that undoubtedly will be continued online. It served as an important illustration of what effective communication among passionate people can accomplish, and the power that Social Media has in helping that along.

This past weekend was the premiere of the Chronicles of EMS first episode. It premiered both at a live event in San Francisco and on the internet through a UStream live feed. If you missed it live don’t worry. The entire episode is viewable here:

Powerful stuff isn’t it? Way better than NBC’s Trauma, more engrossing than Paramedic: Life on the Streets, and most importantly in my opinion is that it is heralding things still to come.

I see CoEMS as the industry’s Paul Revere… alerting it’s citizens and the world that there is a revolution taking shape. It’s a grassroots movement that has been seeded beneath our very feet and has the potential to grow and effect real change in the systems so many people, both providers and patients, find complaints with.

5 Things You Can Do To Help The #CoEMS Movement

Just like any grassroots movement looking to effect real change, the CoEMS movement depends on the passion of those who support it to spread it’s message. Here are some really easy things that YOU can do to help the cause:

• Share the video on Facebook
• Tweet about the video on Twitter
• Sign-up for the CoEMS Newsletter
• Join the CoEMS Social Network!
• Write your own blog post and link to the Chronicles of EMS Premiere Episode!

Real change doesn’t start at some agency in a land far far away.

It can start right where your sitting.

It can start with you.

Dear Midwest Ambulance Service,

I am writing this in response to the appearance of your ambulance and staff on the 2/15/10 episode of Monday Night RAW.

First, allow me to congratulate you on the appearance of your crew (both in neat and tidy uniforms) and the cleanliness of your ambulance (including the floor which, from experience, is not an easy thing to keep clean). They were a perfect representation for the industry of professionalism. Having previously worked with the Superstars of the WWE, I am sure they provided a great experience and atmosphere for your employees as they have for myself and my co-workers.

I do however have a gripe, because what would an open letter be without one? I fully understand that the removal of Brett Hart from the limousine (in fact the entire crash itself for that matter) was a staged event. While your employees were undoubtedly under the direction of the WWE producers and medical staff, I think it is important that we accept the responsibility of how we are portrayed on television even while under contract for entertainment purposes.

The fact that Brett was loaded into the back of the ambulance without any safety restraints engaged on the stretcher and then driven off does not send a good message to either the public or your fellow EMS providers. I understand your responders probably felt that to a certain extent they were “under the gun of the clock” by the WWE Producers, but having worked with them first hand I know that while they are indeed time conscious they are also mindful of delivering as authentic an experience to their audience as possible.

How long does it take to fasten a seatbelt? Roughly 1.6 seconds. As a collective we have a responsibility to both provide the highest quality of patient care and to represent that quality to the public accurately. Brett Hart should at least have been strapped in with the safety restraints.

I’d like to thank you for your forthcoming attention to the details that will represent us accurately as the professional and safe healthcare providers we all are.

Keepin’ It Real,

Dave

While most people in the Northeast today are focused on the descending Snowpocalypse, I’m more about looking to the future and what could potentially be an industry changer for EMS that has nothing to do with outside forces, but for a change is coming from within…

I’m looking to the very close future and this Friday’s world premiere of The Chronicles of EMS. That’s right, this Friday if you’re like myself and can’t make it to San Francisco, you can be like me even more and watch the premiere live online here. I have a lot of belief in the goal that The Chronicles of EMS is striving for, a better understanding of EMS systems world-wide and portraying them realistically so that public perception isn’t skewered.

I’m also looking to the future spawned by the day after the premiere, when The Chronicles of EMS does their Seat At The Table Series. I think this is a great opportunity to jump start the discussions industry wide. While I have a personal interest in hearing what Episode 3: Blogging/Social Media in EMS produces (and I have high hopes I may be able to get home from my new kitty vet appointment in time to hear it live) I think the very idea of bringing people together from different systems and regions is a valuable one to highlight not the differences, but the similarities and the challenges we all face.

Chris Kaiser already explained why he is passionate about Chronicles of EMS, and I find myself feeling the same way for many of the same reasons, most particularly the part about how EMS needs a unified message. The fact is though that there are many challenges on the way to achieve that goal.

EMS has a variety of systems and organizational types, each with their own set of concerns that they will view as being more important than someone else’s. While I think it is natural to champion yourself and your cause, often times we do it to the detriment of someone else and their cause whether we realize it or not. I’m not going to feign innocence here, because there have been plenty of times when I have been guilty of the exact same thing when trying to champion the causes of my agencies and their goals over others… which of course calls to mind Steve Whitehead’s book The Non-Conformist’s Guide to EMS Success… and I remember that doing that is indeed conforming to the current culture and really it gets all of us nowhere.

The Chronicles of EMS can be the game changer for EMS Providers. It can start the discussion about where we are, what differences and similarities we share, where we want to be, and ultimately how we get there. That collective discussion being held between EMTs, Paramedics, Supervisors, Chiefs, Directors, and Patients can lead us to a road map for industry wide success. Or it could be just another passing phase, a failed attempt at changing the service industry that Americans are depending upon more and more.

The difference between success and failure?

You.

Don’t be a conforming sheep.

Get involved.

Let’s make it happen… together.

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Ever since the New York Post’s half-truth article about FDNY and the NYC Vollies, I have been approached by people who know that I am involved with them asking me when they were in fact closing. The fact is, that unless they are already in dire financial stress (which quite a few are), the NYC Vollies are not closing.

Apparently I am not the only one. Here is a Letter to the Editor of the Queens Chronicle who ran a much better story although the tone was similar as the Post article:

Dear Editor:
We write with interest in response to your front-page article featuring Queens volunteer ambulance corps in peril (“FDNY shuts out ambulance corps,” Jan. 21). Since this publication many of our members have been personally stopped on the street numerous times by residents with great concern over the perception of the potential closure of our ambulance service, the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps. We would like to go on record in assuring all our residents that WRHVAC in the foreseeable future is not closing.
Actually, quite to the contrary, our ambulance service within the past year has seen a marked increase in call volume and the amount of tours which we have been putting out on the street to better service our communities. WRHVAC has a good and professional relationship with both the FDNY and hospital-based units which we interact with on an everyday basis. We are committed to providing the best, most professional service possible to the communities of Woodhaven, Richmond Hill and Kew Gardens.
This is not to deny that presently or in the past there have been issues between the volunteer and municipal (FDNY) sector. This being said, we hope that any issues which the volunteers have with FDNY will come to an immediate resolution reached professionally and tactfully on the party of both parties. WRHVAC hopes that recent articles in papers will not affect the ongoing relationship which most ambulance corps have with these units.
The WRHVAC is an all-volunteer ambulance service. To maintain our service we depend on committed communities members like you! If you are interested in getting involved please call us at (718) 296-7918.
The officers of the
Woodhaven-Richmond Hill VAC
Woodhaven
Editor’s note: Nothing in the article or an editorial supporting the ambulance corps implied that any might close. If you missed either item, find it in the archives at queenschronicle.com.

I wonder if this is the reaction those involved with the articles expected.

I highly doubt it.

Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps in Forest Hills, Queens and have been a member of that Corps since 1994

Anyone who has spent significant time with me would probably tell you that I rarely conform with either the establishment or the culture built around it. Although the years in this business have (for lack of a better term) mellowed me out quite a bit, I still maintain my independence with only an occasional eccentric outburst.

Last week Steve Whitehead released an e-book entitled The Non-Conformists’ Guide To EMS Success. For those of you who don’t know Steve, he is the author of The EMT Spot Blog. While I agree with the VAST majority of what he says there, there have been times when I do indeed disagree.

This is not one of those times.

Steve really lays out success in EMS, or any job for that matter, in a plain english conversational tone. The very basis of this is a formula that appears deceivingly simple:

I believe there are three requirements or qualifications to be truly successful in EMS. I’ll call it my three step success formula.
Step 1.) Finding fulfillment in our work.
Step 2.) Creating a healthy relationship with our employers.
Step 3.) Making meaningful connections with the people in our lives
-Steve Whitehead, The Non-Conformists’ Guide To EMS Success

Too many times I read e-books (or real paper books) where the author lays out a formula but doesn’t provide you with the solution. Steve is not one of those authors. He provides not only guidance and hints to the answer, but solid actionable items to help you achieve the vision you will undoubtedly find yourself sharing in.

I know I did.

My head was bopping up and down after each paragraph so much that it gave me a neck cramp the likes of which I haven’t seen since coming out of the Summer Sanitarium show (part of the Tattoo The Earth festival series) featuring Metallica at Giants Stadium in 2000. I’m going to recommend that you read this book if you want to be successful in EMS even though I’m not a big fan of the three column layout. Actually, I am going to INSIST that you read this book whether or not you consider yourself successful in EMS already. Everyone can use a little refresher.

Even if it’s really for your soul as opposed to your skill.

You can download The Non-Conformists’ Guide To EMS Success by signing up for the Splatter Newsletter over at the EMT Spot

So I caught this video from Facebook. I have to be honest, stuff like this does indeed happen. Now it doesn’t happen EVERY day… just maybe every other.

Due to graphic language this video is Not Safe For Work

This is post #3 in a series. You can read post #1 here and post #2 here.

So here is where I put down for the first time in writing a blueprint for what I think the NYC Vollies will need to do in order to prevent their extinction. Now to be totally fair, I am not the one who originated this idea. I would gladly credit the person who first told me about it, but he has become a rather private person and is no longer heavily involved with the vollies but more involved with his family… which is completely understandable. If at anytime he wants me to insert his name here, I will be more than happy to do so.

Also in the interest of fairness and understanding, I will admit that when he first explained to me this idea I laughed at it and disagreed with alot of it. I did so then for the same reasons as those who will disagree with me today. There is the fear of change. The anxiety of a loss of control. The angst of being “forced” to accept things with which we do not agree. The disbelief that such a grand idea can be made into reality.

It’s kind of like the idea of man flying. It was such a grand idea no one thought it was possible. I think it is important to remember that there is truly nothing that is impossible. Impossible just takes a little longer. I like to think the Wright brothers would agree with me on that.

The Solution

My proposed solution in one word is: consolidation.

Changing The Organization

The first thing is the biggest and heftiest part of my solution, and while it can be painful, I think the benefits outweigh the negatives.

Abolish The Fiefdoms

It’s time to set aside these petty territorial disputes that seem to consume all the good will that these agencies were founded on. These arguments do neither the agencies involved or, more importantly, our communities any good. How do we abolish the fiefdoms you ask…

Consolidate Resources

Choose a geographical area that makes sense. Whether it be by borough or the entire city, form a new 501c3 entity as an umbrella organization. For the purpose of this post we’ll call it the NYC Vollie Corps.

This umbrella organization would be formed through a round table conference where two members of the current organizations represent their individual agencies. This group would comprise of the Executive Board of the new organization. From this actual group you would probably need to elect officers, at least one financial officer, one administrative officer, and one operational officer. Whoever is elected to those offices would effectively resign their association with their individual organizations and new reps from those organizations would be elected to the Executive Board.

It would be the responsibility of this new entity to:

• Provide a centralized communications and dispatch center
• Oversee an agency wide Quality Improvement Program
• Organize and administer for a training and education division
• Consolidate and oversee all administrative tasks including crew scheduling
• Consolidate and oversee purchasing to maximize the purchasing power that a large group now holds

While autonomy on many levels would be sacrificed, the individual agencies would need to repaint their vehicles, change their uniforms, and be active participants in their communities as the NYC Vollie Corps. They would be able to still maintain their own garages, their own crew rooms, and their members would still be able to work in the area they live in helping their direct neighbors.

Changing The Mission

The first thing the NYC Vollies Corps would need to recognize is that their mission needs to change from the previous entities. Instead of having a mission that focuses on serving members of the community in times of a medical emergency, it should be changed to serving the community in times of an emergency. This change of focus opens up a lot of possibilities.

One such possibility is to either integrate the Vollies with the local Community Emergency Response Team or have the Vollies form a CERT if there isn’t one already established. This is a fantastic way to refocus the efforts of the Vollies and to do so in a way that is not totally foreign but not so limiting.

This does NOT mean that the NYC Vollies Corps is going out of the ambulance business. The fact is that they can’t because providing ambulance service and collecting revenue through third party billing is their only true way to generate a steady income. It DOES mean that there are now opportunities for potential volunteers that do not have anything to do with the EMS aspect of it, and for that matter will enhance the offering and value to the community of these agencies.

In Conclusion

Now as I indicated before, this really is not a revolutionary idea, and what is above is more of a blueprint than anything else. It has been an idea discussed before. People have thrown out problems ( How would the new organization get a CoN? How would we be able to keep all the vollie bases open?) and there have been answers (Agencies can transfer their current CoNs over to a “DBA”… You may not be able to keep them all open, but the vast majority is definitely better than the minority or none at all) given in attempts to further the conversation and move us into this direction.

Unfortunately, as with most things that people emotionally invest themselves in, egos clash and politics plays a part to hinder change. The truth is that the current NYC Volunteer EMS agencies are no longer a community necessity for emergent pre-hospital care, but more of a community luxury. Change is something that needs to happen… but unlike their communities that have changed unconsciously, the Vollies have to be willing to change and do so consciously.

This is post #2 in a series. You can read post #1 here and you can read post #3 here

Before you can solve a problem, you need to understand what the actual problem is. In order to do that, you need to understand the good and the bad of who/what the problem is afflicting.

In this case, we’ll be talking about the volunteer EMS agencies in New York City who face alot of challenges operating in this environment. Some of the challenges come from the evolution of EMS in the city, and some of those challenges are self-made. So let’s take a look at both sides of the fence:

The Good

There are definitely good things about the NYC vollies that should absolutely not be overlooked:

• Volunteers – the people who take the time to volunteer are dedicated individuals with a sincere desire to provide a service to others. Being a volunteer gives them the opportunity to gain experience and training that can lead them to a career as a professional EMS provider
• Community based – these agencies have strong connections to their community, with many of them having existed for over 30, 40, and 50 years. Their inception occurred at a time when a city EMS was non-existent and it was up to the citizens to provide care to one another. This fine tradition of helping others in their greatest hour of need is the very core of what EMS is about
• Regulated – the agencies are all regulated by the NYSDOH and are required to be certified in order to operate. This enforces that the volunteers be on equal standing with the other agencies in the area, depending on their level of service

The Bad

There is of course always the bad that goes hand in hand with the good:

• Volunteers – because these agencies are dependent on volunteers who are donating their time when they are available, they are hard pressed to deliver guaranteed in service times
• Community based – each agency is issued a Certificate of Need (CoN) that specifies their permitted response area, and usually coincides with the boundaries of their community. In essence this sets up a system of fiefdoms across a geographical area where borders can literally be the difference between the north side and the south side of a single street. Agencies instinctively become territorial and protective over their “area”, which more often leads to conflict and strife instead of compromise and understanding. Let there be no mistake about it, personal egos that rage unchecked help to contribute to this dilemma that never truly has the best interest of the patient in focus
• Regulated – not only is the regulation responsible for the negative aspect of the agencies being community based, but it also helps narrow down the volunteer pool by requiring certification. Sure people want to volunteer their time, but the time commitment taking and passing an EMT class is not something everyone is ready or able to do. While most organizations wisely have positions for non-certified volunteers, a certified volunteer becomes that much more in demand

Unfortunately these problems, along with a few others, will lead to the extinction of the NYC Vollies within the next 10 years if not resolved. There have already been a number of agencies that have shut their doors.

A Few Nearly Instant Actionable Solutions

There are quite a few things that the NYC Vollies can do immediately to avoid extinction:

• Volunteers – These are the very lifeblood of the organization. While you may think that these agencies would be focused on this, more often than not they have fallen into a rut and need to re-evaluate how they handle this essential ingredient to success
  1. NYC Vollies need to be more aggressive with their recruitment. It is important to have a clearly defined recruitment process in place and dedicated people running it
  2. There is a finite source of valuable resources in the form of volunteers interested in working on an ambulance. Recruitment efforts should be broader than for just EMTs and drivers. Everyone willing to volunteer and donate their time has value
  3. Every agency needs to treat each volunteer for what they are, a huge priceless asset. Too many times volunteer agencies will say this, but not live it. There are many reasons why people volunteer. It is important that leaders figure out what drives each person, and do their best to deliver it
• Community based – One of the biggest challenges of any vollie agency is the fact that the community around them is changing both financially and demographically. Those changes don’t always continue to coincide with the agency’s original 30 year old mission. While the organization can’t change the community’s transition around it, the way they relate to the changing community can be changed. This is one of the hardest things to transform about an organization so rooted in its community, yet a failure to change will result in an organization being made obsolete…
  1. The agency needs to literally re-learn their community. They can do this by some basic research through the US Census Bureau, or take it to the next level and send out a survey. The community has changed around them and they need to learn who their community is now so they know better how to re-introduce themselves
  2. The agency needs to ask itself “What can we uniquely provide to our community?” The answer in NYC is not emergent ambulance service, because the 911 system is already doing that on a daily basis
  3. Learn to effectively communicate value using tools such as Social Media. The truth is that this change made by FDNY did not happen recently, it happened last year. If the volunteers were able to effectively communicate value to their communities AND to FDNY, then there would be better communication and understanding all around
• Regulation – There’s not really anything the Vollies can do regarding regulation, or changing it, instantaneously. What they can change is how they interact with that regulation and the regulatory agency
  1. Stop inundating the regulating agency with petty complaints about other volunteer agencies. This is one of the most annoying thing about the NYC vollies… their petty politics. If agencies cannot find a way to effectively communicate and compromise with their fellow volunteers, what hope do they have of effectively communicating and serving their community?
  2. Don’t use the regulation as a goal to attain, use it as the base to start from. In New York State for a certified ambulance to operate it requires one NYS Certified EMT. Due to the shortage, most volunteers will allow non-certified drivers or attendants. There are some agencies that require everyone onboard to at least be certified in CPR, and some volunteers have indeed instituted a two EMT policy for which I commend them. I know this is hard, but I think it’s important if the vollies are going to continue to provide any sort of ambulance service… which for the right now they will have to in order to stay funded through the third part billing
  3. Carefully select and choose what types of “experimental” or “trial” programs you want to participate in. Usually when one of these becomes available, every vollie jumps at the chance to join it so they can proudly proclaim that they are doing something “new” and “unique”. In reality all they are doing is expending energy on something that may be detrimental to the actual study

The Big Idea

Tomorrow I’m going to outline what my “big idea” is regarding the long term survival of the NYC Vollies. It’s an idea that I cannot claim originating, but its been percolating in my mind for quite awhile… and for the first time it will be fleshed out in writing.

Until then though, as you can see I listed the problems that I see and offered some solutions. If you’re a NYC Vollie, what problems do you see and what do you think will be able to fix it? If you’re not a NYC Vollie, does your agency have or has had the same problems? If so, what are they doing or did do to fix it? Did it work?

Inquiring minds want to know…

Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps in Forest Hills, Queens and have been a member of that Corps since 1994

This is post #1 in a series. You can read post #2 here.

The alternate title of this post was “The Post When All The Vollies Cry Foul And Want My Head On A Spike“. Why would that be the case? Because the truth can hurt.

There was recently an article in the New York Post regarding the decision of the FDNY to remove NYC Volunteer EMS Agencies from their computer aided dispatch (CAD) system. I caught word of the article through an e-mail and then there was a post on it from Firegeezer.

So let’s look at what the claims being made are and what the truth actually is:

The Fire Department has booted the city’s volunteer ambulance companies from its emergency 911 system, The Post has learned. – NY Post Article

Truthfulness of Statement: False

The vollies have not been booted from the NYC 911 system, because they were never IN the NYC 911 system. Volunteer agencies have their own “hotline” phone numbers, have their own dispatchers, and their own run numbering systems. They are separate entities that do have a mutual aid agreement with the NYC 911 system lead agency, FDNY.

“They call us all the time. If not through their system, they call us on the mutual-aid radio system or just call us directly,” said Gunning, who also heads the Glendale Volunteer crew. – NY Post Article

Truthfulness of Statement: True and False

During the days of NYC*EMS, they maintained the Mutual Aid Radio System (MARS). This system gave each volunteer agency a radio designation based on their borough of service, so a 93 unit was from Brooklyn and a 94 unit was from Queens. It’s true that back in the days of NYC*EMS the vollies were called over the radio, but ever since FDNY inherited this system they did absolutely nothing more with it and THIS is what FDNY is actually ceasing operations of.

“If it weren’t for us, patient wait times would often be much longer. We get called in when the FDNY doesn’t have an ambulance to send. This change comes at the patient’s expense,” said Alan Wolfe, president of the Forest Hills Volunteer Corps. – NY Post Article

Truthfulness of Statement: True and False

The truth is that the NYC vollies generally respond to calls they hear over the NYPD radio or the FDNY BEMS radio. Yes, the truth is the volunteers “buff” or “jump” calls that are dialed into 911. Their response however does NOT mean there is no available unit. In fact, more often than not, the assigned unit responding continues in even though a vollie unit has decided to respond.

It is true that more often than not the volunteers WILL get to the scene faster than the assigned unit. This is for a number of reasons:

• The volunteers are traditionally very knowledgeable of their specific geographic location
• The volunteers are often already in the area whereas the assigned unit may be coming from an out of the area post or hospital
• The volunteers have a burning desire to get there first… which can be both good and bad

As for the expense of the patient… financially speaking volunteers do the job for free, but the vast majority of the agencies will still bill the patient’s insurance.

The medics who ride the units all have the same qualifications and certifications that any other medic units have. Many of the volunteers, in fact, are off-duty FDNY medics. – Firegeezer

Truthfulness of Statement: More False than True

First let’s clarify the term “medic” here is used very loosely. Out of the 35 (and I question that number too) reported agencies in NYC, I can think of only 3 or 4 that are providing ALS. Everyone else is a BLS agency using BLS providers.

Additionally, while the state certifications are the same, many of the volunteers are NOT employed with FDNY. In fact for that matter I think FDNY employees are the minority of the volunteers. I believe there is a far greater number of EMS professionals employed by both hospitals and privates volunteering their time than the municipal workers.

The volunteer squads are not only saving the city a lot of money, but they are seriously reducing response times in many instances. – Firegeezer

Truthfulness of Statement: False

The volunteer squads do not save the city ANY money. It is true the squads do not receive tax funding, but their existence does not decrease the budget in any one place. As for the response times, technically since the vollies are not in the system that measures response times (and haven’t been) they are in fact statistically not reducing any response times either.

In Conclusion… To Be Continued

In conclusion, there is no change to the status of the NYC volunteer agencies, because they are in all reality irrelevant to the emergency response in New York City.

But does it have to be that way? Are the NYC volunteers destined to close their doors and be a footnote in the history of emergency care in the city?

I say no. It doesn’t have to be that way. In my next post I’m going to explain the current volunteer system and what is wrong with it, and in my third post I will explain how (in my opinion) the volunteers can fix it.

Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps in Forest Hills, Queens and have been a member of that Corps since 1994