Chief Concerns Richard Marinucci

Fire-based emergency medical service (EMS) has proven itself to be very beneficial to the communities that elect this delivery option.

The advantages are many: quick response time, the ability to dispatch adequate numbers of people, and support for operations such as those needed for extrications. The match up with fire has been good for everyone and continues to provide value-added service to the jurisdiction. It adds to quality of life and has proven to save lives, shorten hospital stays, and decrease the time needed for rehab after an injury or illness. But there are some current challenges to agencies providing the service and potential emerging issues. It is time for individual departments and the fire service as a whole to look at what they are providing and how they will address these challenges.

There is no doubt fire departments and firefighters are capable of delivering quality service. The track record of success is outstanding and beyond question. The issue facing the fire service is how this will continue. EMS in many organizations is being strained. This is from increased run load, abuse of the system, continuing educational requirements (time required to maintain licensure), and firefighter burnout. There are other factors to consider, but these may be the most significant. It is important to analyze each and assess the current status of the organization to ascertain whether any action should begin to address the concerns.

• Fire-based EMS
• EMS and the Fire Service
• EMS and the Medical Profession
• Challenges of EMS

It is appropriate to determine what is a reasonable number of responses that a unit can make during an average shift. There are going to be times when that number will increase but, in general, there should be a normal response expectation. Realistically, what is that number in your organization? Factors to consider are the obvious: staffing and the number of “other” responses, including fires. There is a need for training and other ancillary duties such as apparatus and equipment maintenance and house duties. In volunteer or on-call organizations that provide EMS in a more traditional way of responding from home or work (as opposed to scheduled shifts), what is a reasonable expectation? How often can you expect people to disrupt their personal lives to respond to calls? When a break point is reached, individuals and organizations suffer. Those with an option may elect to move on, while those with no choice may develop unhealthy attitudes or habits.

The term “frequent flyer” has been used to describe individuals who make multiple calls to the fire service for medical reasons, often minor in nature and not necessitating an emergency response. Some may consider this insensitive and maybe even not politically correct. You can call it whatever you want, but the bottom line is that this is an issue that needs to be addressed if it is occurring in your department. The individuals who make these calls obviously need something but maybe not emergency response vehicles with licensed paramedics. There must be a better way to

E-ONE—Miami Township (OH) Fire and Rescue aerial ladder quint; Typhoon cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump; 100-foot rear-mount aerial ladder quint; 470-gallon polypropylene water tank; 30-gallon foam cell; Smart Foam 2.1A single-agent foam system; Class 1 2.1A Smart Foam single-agent foam system; Smart Power 6-kW generator. Dealer: Kevin Kleman. Vogelpohl Fire Equipment, Erlanger, KY.

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Ground was broken December 1 for a new $11.1 million North Shore Fire Station 41 for the Riverside County Fire Department, according to a news release from the Riverside County Facilities Management Department.

The ceremony was held at the future site of the fire station in the community of North Shore, 99-054 Sea View Drive.

This new and long awaited North Shore Fire Station 41 will replace the community’s existing fire station, which has served the community since 1964. The modern and energy-efficient facility will be a significant upgrade in improving conditions for the fire personnel stationed in North Shore, as well as in fire response.

“This is the first major investment in county fire station facilities in a decade,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “A new state-of-the-art fire station has been a long time coming in North Shore for our firefighters and community, replacing an aging, outgrown and dilapidated facility. This is important infrastructure for the community of North Shore that will provide a great resource to serve the community for years to come.”

The construction contract was awarded to Riverside-based Tilden-Coil Constructors and Holt Architecture of Palm Desert. The estimated $11.1 million project is led by the Riverside County Facilities Management Department.

“Facilities Management is honored to be a part of bringing a modern Fire Station to the North Shore community,” said Riverside County Facilities Management Director Rose Salgado. “This is one of hopefully many more meaningful and rewarding projects that we are proud to be a part of that will provide fire responders a much needed safe and productive work environment.”

The future fire station will include living quarters, a large kitchen, individual bedrooms and additional restrooms to provide first responders more privacy and reduce the spread of illness. The fire station will also include state-of-the-art, environmentally efficient systems for cleaning the fire personnel personal protective equipment, or PPE.

A larger apparatus bay will also be a feature of the facility, which is a much-needed upgrade. The current station has only a metal awning cover, which limits security of fire personnel and limits protection of fire apparatus from harsh desert weather elements. A carport for station staff parking, gym and backup power generator are also added features for this long‑awaited facility.

Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser states, “We are so proud of what this new facility means to the community of North Shore and our first responders. Our goal is and will always be to provide the highest level of care to the residents and visitors in the community of North Shore and throughout the county. Collectively, we are very excited for this facility and its features as they relate to protecting our communities and first responders alike

The Waynesboro Fire Department is adding a second home to the West End, The News Virginian reported. Fifteen years ago, the citizens of Waynesboro voted in favor of a second fire station in a city referendum.

However, a national recession followed, then a pandemic and little movement took place on the project. Meanwhile the West End continued to grow, the report said.

Now, the city is stepping up to make the West End project happen. Waynesboro has a contract for two parcels of land on Osage Lane just off Lew DeWitt Boulevard midway between the intersections of West Main Street and Rosser Avenue, the report said. The 2.5 acres of land carry a cost of just over $1.070 million. Waynesboro City Council is expected to approve the purchase of the land at its December 12 meeting, according to the report.

Having Waynesboro firefighters on the West End means emergencies will will get answered in a quicker time, the report said.