Comments on: Rural EMS – A Fictional Letter to the Small Town Community

By: Medic Trommashere

Medic Trommashere — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:03:58 +0000

This letter hits close to home. While I wasn't in a rural setting, I was in an economically depressed area. We were a combination volunteer and paid service. Half the time because of how poor our income was, most of the medics and EMTs pulled some extra shifts helping to staff the calls on our free time and we'd always "forget" to write down we crewed an extra call.

I had to move from a company I loved. We were a small local service that provided excellent care to those we served, better than the surrounding companies who had to come in to mutual aid. We got no help from the local government because, as we were told, "If it still drives and makes noise, it's a good vehicle." I got paid in promises sometimes, others I got half in one check and the rest in the other because bills to keep the station with electricity, gas, water, and the truck payments came first.

AD said it best when he said that nothing would happen until the local communities realize that we're needed. Unfortunately, we're the scape goats for everything. If a transport for a patient is delayed, it's our fault because we didn't arrive in time and that we should know where we're going. It's not the citys' fault for not putting a new street sign up after someone stole the street sign, and it's certainly not the family's fault for not having a visible address that can be seen even at 2 am.

Until EMS as a whole puts their collective foot down and stops allowing people to walk all over us, things will never change.

~M. Trommashere~

By: JT

JT — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:21:12 +0000

If you don't like the pay that's offered, then go find a different job. Have fun in the big city, you will be replaced. Especially in this economy.

By: JT

JT — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:21:12 +0000

If you don't like the pay that's offered, then go find a different job. Have fun in the big city, you will be replaced. Especially in this economy.

By: Rural EMT

Rural EMT — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:39:58 +0000

You hit the nail on the head! I could've written that letter. The distances all apply too. It's 35 miles to the closest ER and we cover 400 sq miles with two units. Every time the pager goes off for our volunteer service, it's a minimum 3-hr slice out of your day. No one is paid.

Our service doesn't bill at all, so it's still 100% free. We operate primarily on donations and receive enough money from the county to pay for fuel, usually.

In recent months, there have been 3 of us who have responded to most of the calls. It's getting harder to find volunteers. It's a shame that some residents in our area work in MidSize or BigCity EMS systems but can't spare a little time to help locally. It would help take the burden off of the three of us who never miss a call.

By: Rural EMT

Rural EMT — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:39:58 +0000

By: Carl

Carl — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:30:32 +0000

Brother you have said it! There is always the 'we want but we don't want to pay' and it is getting EVER so much worse. People feel that they are 'entitled' and don't have to support their community. What ever happened to the teaching of 'civics', you know, the you are a citizen of the county, state, county, town/city and these are YOUR responsibiities to make it work? Selfishness apppears to be a genetic add -on to todays populace. Again, better, clearer words have not been spoken here lately. Like the saying goes – IF YOU WANT TO PLAY YOU GOT TO PAY!

By: Carl

Carl — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:30:32 +0000

By: John

John — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:37:56 +0000

I read this “letter” after I read the article and comments about the nurses in MINN who went on strike and the two posts could not compliment each other more and support the case for better treatment of EMS professionals. I have to agree with AD in many respects. As long as so many of us are willing to protect our towns and villages for free or almost free, nothing will change. The sheriff no longer rounds up a possee in order to chase down the bad guys, our all volunteer military personnel get very well compensated and, I would love a job that paid $50,000 a year (and up) with 2 months off in the summer and long vactions in the winter and spring. What we in EMS still have not learned is that until we put aside petty bickering and stand together the only thing that will advance is our technology – for those who can afford it. We, as individuals must stand together and demand a living wage with appropriate benefits. Sadly, as AD states, some people may have to suffer because we will no longer be treated as second class citizens, but don't we and our families deserve the respect that the other professionals we work shoulder to shoulder with receive?

By: John

John — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:37:56 +0000

By: Jsleight

Jsleight — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:44:40 +0000

So very true, I work small town Fire/EMS and just strict ambulance, each year we get $16K from the two towns that we cover, which isn't much, but we make due with billing insurance and Medicare/Medicaid. What bugs me the most is when we ask for a little more money because we need to fix the ambulance or we need to replace the pump on our engine and the town votes it down, or when they vote down a 2% pay raise of town public safety employees which would only cost the town $10K a year, but they'll vote “yes” to the $20K survey for the new Wal-Mart. Its gotten so bad in our town that the fire department can no longer enter a structure fire without mutual aid, because the second engine we have failed the state pump test, and the voters turned down our plea for a replacement. The unfortunate reality of our jobs is that people only appreciate us when they need us, and sometimes not even then. They don't realize how much we sacrifice to do this job, and the toll it takes on us. But we will soldier on, because thats what we do, its who we are, and nothing will ever change that.