Odds and Ends this morning:

If you haven’t read last night’s postings yet, about 3 entries down is a brief article (HERE) about a fire engine rollover in central Virginia in which the RollTek SRP (side roll protection) system was deployed.  The RollTek system is largely used in the commercial trucking industry, but in the past couple of years some of the custom fire apparatus builders have been offering it as an option.

This is the first time that we know of where the SRP has actually deployed on a fire engine accident.  Engineers from both Pierce (who made this particular engine) and RollTek are at the location today and they will be able to do a thorough investigation of the event.  The first indications are that the device worked just as promised and protected the driver.  But we’ll wait until the pro’s finish their inspection.  Firegeezer’s apparatus expert, LightRock is keeping an eye on this one and will report back to us when the investigation is finished.

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Yesterday I was reading an article in EMS1 (HERE) about a program in San Jose where they have purchased fire SUV’s and outfitted them with as assortment of ambulance equipment and a capability to transport a patient that is in a life-threatening condition.  The purpose of them is to get paramedics on the scene quickly and even transport if need be when the responding ambulance can’t get there in a reasonable time.

This program, which they call the S.T.A.R. program, was expected to generate at least one call a day per unit but in practice they were only being utilized an average of twice a week.  I gather from the story that they are independently staffed, so that’s 10 FF’s being paid around the clock for 10 responses per week.

So, in order to salvage the program, they are adding some firefighter tools too.  The plan is to use the STAR cars for non-emergency calls such as lockouts and broken water pipes, and keep the fire engines in quarters.  They are calling it a “pilot program,” but it’s really nothing new.  This concept has been tried several times in various departments over the years and it never has proven beneficial to the point that it’s worth spending all that money on it.  Usually the program runs until the vehicles need replacing and then the item is not budgeted.  The experiment then fades away.

In fact, my own department tried this same concept 30 years ago, using vans (they were popular then) and labeled it the S.E.R.V. program.  They always have catchy acronyms like that.  A couple of firefighters would take the SERV van out and inspect hydrants, handle the lockouts, etc.  And at night they would do fire inspections on places of public assembly.  It was right at the same time that the drive-in movie theaters were desperately trying to stay in business by resorting to showing soft-porn films.

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All right, let’s get the equipment checked.  I’ll see you at the coffee table.

One of the recurring themes that runs through the Firegeezer blog is the constant turbulence in the nationwide EMS delivery system.  Hardly a day goes by that I don’t read where some community is debating who will provide their emergency ambulance service.

This often pops up when the local provider is a privately-run business and their service is either falling short of the contracted standards, or they are losing so much money that they just up and pull out entirely.  Earlier this month, for example, we reported on the city of Richmond, Virginia, summarily severing their contract with AMR for failing to meet minimum response standards in every month of this year.  And at other times the story has to do with who the locality should have running the EMS service.

Oftentimes, the Firegeezer writers will editorialize that we feel the best system is one that is operated as part of the municipality’s fire and rescue department.  But whenever this happens, we always seem to attract emails and comments from people who see something that we didn’t say, most notably that firefighters don’t have the dedication to EMS delivery that the solely-skilled paramedics do.

That is missing the point entirely.  While it’s true that 30 years ago your ambulance staff was often made up of firefighters who were pulled off the pumper for the day, that practice has mostly disappeared with the onset of higher levels of certification required for EMS personnel.  In those places where the fire department operates the emergency ambulance service, the people on the ambulance are every bit as dedicated and as skilled as those in the private sector.  The EMS branch has evolved into a separate career path that medic-oriented firefighters choose to enter and dedicate their efforts to.

But the difference is in the quality and reliability of the overall EMS service.  For example, in the aforementioned service in Richmond, those paramedics’ wages were approx. 40% of what the state average is.  Virginia is a state where fire and EMS have been combined in most cities for decades.  That has no relationship to the level of dedication to the job that the individual medics have other than its effect on the morale of the staff.

In addition, the combined departments will usually have better quality and maintained vehicles along with a stable labor force.  Add in direct line of responsibility up the chain of command to the elected officials, and you have a more reliable and responsive system.  Again, there is no relationship between the quality of the delivery system and the dedication and ability of the paramedics themselves.

Some may argue that it costs more to have those higher wages and secure pension plans, etc.  But that is largely offset by utilizing an already-existing management level, buildings to house the ambulances, maintenance facilities, and so on.  Add in the certainty that they are not subject to work stoppages for contract disputes or sudden bankruptcy and the citizens are definitely getting their money’s worth.

Firegeezer stands by our opinion that the best EMS delivery system is one that is properly implemented and integrated with the fire department.

It’s time to get this equipment checked now.  I’ll go start the coffee.

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Operation Firestorm

This afternoon is when Craig (”Backdraft”) will be running the special call-in show to benefit the fund set up to aid the San Diego firefighters that lost their homes while they were out trying to save others.  Operation Firestorm is set up through the offices of San Diego Local 145 and administered by the IAFF Members’ Disaster Relief program.  So every dollar that’s collected will be going directly into the fund.

This program is being sent out over the internet on the BlogTalkRadio network.  Craig’s shows emanate from his RocklandUSA studio and he has a ready listener base.  But he has plenty of incoming phone lines, so don’t be hesitant about calling in today and joining the gang supporting this great cause.

The show starts at 4:00 pm Eastern/1:00 pm Pacific.  For you folks in Europe, a reminder that the U. S. is still on Daylight Savings time – what you call “summer time” – so we are just 5 hours difference this week (4 hrs. in UK).

You can listen to the show by just clicking on the banner above and it will take you to the program’s streaming site.  We’ll have some fire bloggers on hand, too.  So make sure you tune in and make sure you take a moment to call in and say hello to us.

The call-in phone number is:  646-478-5589.  The number is repeated on the web page that the banner puts you on, so you won’t lose it.  I’ll be live-blogging the show and waiting for your call.  I’d love to talk to you.

Now let’s get the equipment checked out.  I need to start the coffee pot.