Public EMS Service

[cf1]

Hello Everyone.
Ok, Let me start from the top.
Our county is serviced by a private EMS service which operates with 2 units covering 35,000 people in peak seasons.
We have been trying for the past 3 years to get our own county owned and operated EMS service. We have worked to we are blue in the face and it has always ended up "NO!" from the county commission. Alot of the times the response is over 25 minutes to the scene and it is really hurting the public.
Ok, So here is our delima.
We have been trying for the last 3 years to get our own county owned and operated system and the final word has always been "NO!" from the county commission. Last year one of the companies pulled out. We saw this as our golden oppurtunity for the service. As we worked like crazy to get info together to present to the commission, out of the dark comes another service, and then we were right back to where we started.
We have made packets of info for the operation from A-Z and we still get shot down every time. My question to all of you is, are we going about this the wrong way? Is there another tactic which could be productive in this situation. We REFUSE to mud-sling rumours about the companies in order to get support, and try and do it honest. But it always end up in the same way. Please tell me what you think would produce an effective means of attaining our service?

Thanks Always,
cf1

[phyrngn]

Well, let me start right off with the fact that private EMS services indeed, do suck!!! Now that I've gotten my childish blathering out of the way, I can continue. My city is "protected" (for lack of a better term) by 4 advanced life support ambulances for 240,000 people under the Priority Dispatch guise that makes it "ok" to not have a lot of ambulances, so I can see your dilemma. First of all, and forgive me for repeating things if you have already done this, but you need to look at your state rules and regs. Find out what kind of requirements there are for ambulance services in your state. Get it down to the nitty gritty protocols...even get it down to where you have seen mistakes made by the private service, and have a plan for your folks so the same thing doesn't happen to you. Then, get national standards about appropriate treatment...talk about cardiac arrest and the chain of survival. Incite the possibility that Codes you have worked in the last few years may have had a better chance for survival if they had gotten to doctor within 10 to 15 minutes. Talk about Golden Hours and Platinum 10 minutes. It will cost some money and elbow grease, but get out and talk to your public...scare the crap out of them. Have a deployment plan and a redeployment plan for when units are scattered across the county. Have a staffing plan...tell your taxpayers how much it will cost them if they take a private ambulance vs. your ambulance. Factor in personnel costs, and costs of equipment. Seek donations and grants. Dot your i's and cross your t's. Have quality people who can speak well and write well do your dirty work for you. Probably most importantly, find out who the "players" are in the game. Wine them and dine them, 'cause that's what private providers do. Find out why they vote the way they vote...and then if that doesn't work, stage a drill at one of their homes and demonstrate your bill of goods and how it just doesn't work with a private provider. I don't know what your call volume is, (and this is a little sneaky), but have them ride along at a time when you know you won't get an ambulance for 25 minutes. Have them watch you work one of their voter's husbands cardiac arrest in vain as you wait too long for an ambulance to get there. Appoint a Public Information Officer that makes your department shine!

The key is to do everything in your power to get those God forsaken private providers out of the limelight...it's not cheating if you get caught.

Disclaimer: The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of his agency. (Actually they are, but no one has the cojones to admit it!!!)

[BURNSEMS]

There is truth in the fact that you can get further with sugar, Let me Explain, Yes you are right never go to mud slinging, however if you have concerns about Response time then get Documentation as to Times and response Data, Maybe you could get enough info to show that a reserve unit utilized by your Dept can save Time without Cost,, Further your cause, do you First Respond during Delays, you may want to start, work that out with the EMS company, and find out the absolute reason why the County wont let you operate, I am sure they are paying out the ying yang for that service, show the public your cost based on the exact same circumstance, If your Volunteer then make sure your staffing will be there,, Again be nice work your way into the spot where you are the friend not the enemy then WAIT, do your best every call and be ready to step in at a moments notice.. Pre Planning Prevents **** Poor Performance....

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Here today for a Safer Tomorrow