Special commentary exclusive to Firefighter-EMT.com

Ventura EMS is a private ALS and BLS provider based out of Fort Bend County, Texas. What makes it so exceptional, however, is that it apparently currently runs over 24,000 EMS calls a year. That translates to approximately 65 calls per day - regardless of the amount of ambulances or the number of volunteers who help staff them, it is impossible to accept that many amount of calls to a single EMS provider.

This extreme case may be unique to Fort Bend, but it is without a doubt that many EMS providers have heard a similar story or may have gone through such a scenario themselves. The talk of the day is no longer about what sort of calls, but how many. EMS providers can barely sit down for a warm meal before their pager goes off, and then off to another needy case, another 911.

While there may be EMS personnel willing to undergo such toil for the good pay, how effective is it and what sort of message does it send to a community if its providers are so overtaxed that they must field so many calls a day? The idea of 24-hour shifts on, 48 hour off, goes in a similar vein: what we need to recognize is that the best EMTs are the ones who are awake, who are healthy, and who are mentally the sharpest they can be. It is hard to imagine a scenario as such if they have been running calls back to back and can hardly eat before their shift is over.

Furthermore, this translates to the dangers of deteriorating health - while the busiest EMS providers may have the most experience in their field, they are providing the healthcare to others that they don’t abide by themselves. There needs to be a careful balance between coverage and care, and that care needs to be first and foremost that of the EMS provider.

What should be done, then? Should Ventura EMS, as it is doing, solicit more volunteers? With the current economy it is hard to justify the creating of a new ambulance or a new station. Ultimately it’s whether or not the municipal governments are willing to fork over a small amount of pain right now for greater gain later.

Categories: Special Report
Tags: commentary