Fire Fighters, Fight Fires... EMTs, Treat Patients...
By ParaTed2k
@ParaTed2k (22940)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
May 29, 2007 4:33pm CST
Here in Sheboygan, WI we have a great ambulance Service. Orange Cross Ambulance is owned by the two hospitals that serve our city and county.
They are a private, not-for-profit, ambulance service working by contract with the city. Their contract requires response times of 6 minutes in the city and 12 in the county.
Every 5 years, the contract has to be renewed and the service is reviewed. Every 5 years the municipal fire department fights to take over the ambulance services in the city of Sheboygan.
I was in EMS for 10 years, in 4 states. My experience is, while there are many fine fire department based ambulance services around the country, there is one basic truth in EMS... Fire fighters are best left to fighting fires... EMTs are best left to treating patients.
The worst argument the fire department makes is, "we can bring $337,000 a year to the city revenues". What this is really saying is, not only would it be supported by our taxes (as municiple ambulance services usually are), but they plan to bill patients as well.
Unless the city can demonstrate that Orange Cross is not living up to the contract, the ambulance services in Sheboygan should stay just how it is. We don't need more taxes for what works well already without them.
2 people like this
3 responses
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
30 May 07
I tend to agree with this.
I think the firefighters should worry about fighting fires and let the ambulance service deal with patients and such.
If the system is working well as it is, why would anyone want to change it?
As far as billing patients, when it comes to medical problems that require and ambulance and hospital care, the patients have enough expenses without adding to it just for the sake of raising additional revenue.
This would seem to go beyond being a service to the community and more of an interest in making money.
Somehow that doesn't seem right.
2 people like this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
30 May 07
Well, the patients get billed either way. However, now us tax payers will have to cover the expenses but the city will also bill the patients for services rendered.
Most municiple services I know of don't bill patients, they are supported through taxes.
I guess, to Mayor Perez, the purpose of government is to make a profit.
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
30 May 07
My husband is a former volunteer fire fighter and first responder. He used to come home after their meetings, always gripping and complaining how the department was going to waste another annual budget. Fire departments and police departments are government bureaucracy first, heroes second. I know every time it seems like if the fire fighters or the police departments ask for more money they get it. It is because they are hereos and no one wants to oppose them even though they are very wasteful with their budgets. You know those Segway scooters, well one of the small fire departments in my state bought one because they felt like they needed it. My fire department bought an ice making machine like the ones they have at hotels. Why? Because they wanted one. Does a government bureaucracy need to answer why? They just do. And more money the better. SO taking away the contract to a perfectly good EMT company is no problem for a fire dept., why not?
2 people like this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
30 May 07
And the fleecing of the people of Sheboygan will happen. The city counsel voted yesterday, the contract with Orange Cross won't be renewed and the Fire Department will start providing 9/11 service in a few months.
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
30 May 07
Leave it to bureauocracy to wreck something that's working very well..
1 person likes this
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
30 May 07
Exactly! Why reward success when you can tax the people AND bill them.
