what am i supposed to do?

[Lyss]

Lets just get this right out in the open, my boss is an idiot. I've worked at volunteer organizations that were more organized and well run. We've been through more managers in the last 5 years than I can count, some are good, some bad, but this one takes the cake.

Saturdays 6a-6p are my regular shift, and for quite a while I had a partner. Now for whatever reason my partner left and he expects me to run a shift by myself or call around and find my own partner. We are a primarily ALS agency, with a medic always on duty, but as of late most of the medics have left and moved on downgrading us to BLS on the weekends -- the busiest part of the week for us. He has no proficiency what-so-ever for scheduling, when he has an open shift, and knows about it for 2 weeks, he'll wait until 24hrs before notifying anyone to fill it.

This is how I'm supposed to roll: Stay at the station with the rig, as a normal shift would run. If I get a call I roll out by myself and call for a medic to meet at the scene - s/he would be coming from wherever they are, sometimes up to a half hour away, in their county fly car. Now just what in the hell am I supposed to do if I get there and have to roll immediately? Say with a heart patient. The hospitals are all ~1 hr transport time minimally. We've been flying out a lot of patients lately and I have no problem calling the bird or another agency to come transport for mutual-aid. As I said in another post we only have one county medic available on the mountain top, and if s/he's out, I have to wait. We've had situations where we had no medics left in the county.

I've complained all the way up to the top, and I'm not the only person this is happening to. On Sundays there is a medic with no driver. Has this ever happened to anyone else's agency?

 

[Ridryder911]

Part of the problem in EMS and why EMS is in the shape it is in, is because we have uneducated, poor business and yes idiot managers.

Fortunately, that type of scenario has never happened to me. Surely your boss has a boss (such as a board, etc)? They are aware of this? If so, time to move on. I would report them to the state EMS office. Surely, there is some form of ruling requiring a set number of responders per truck and transport times within a reasonable period of time. Be sure to document every time you spoke with your manager and save any e-mails describing events lke you just described.

I wish you luck, but be aware you are in a dangerous area.

R/r 911

 

[Chiron]

I wouldn't roll alone. You need to get this fixed ASAP.

I would start by finding out if the response model that you have outlined is even legal in your state. What I mean is that most states have laws in place defining the minimum number of personell with EMS training and vehicle requirements for transport ambulance crews.

For example a two person ambulance staffed by a single emt (of any level of qualification) and a Firefighter, Police officer, or citizen with a CDL etc... with no EMS training acting only as the as the vehicle's driver would not qualify as a legal transport ambulance in most states.

I know the arrival of the ALS car you mentioned would round out the crew and bring you up to speed legally, but what if that ALS car is unavailable, or otherwise unable to make it to your scene. You would then be faced with the problem that you mentioned, stay on scene until someone who can drive arrives (EMT qualified or not) or transporting a Pt. to the hospital with no attendant in the back.

The scenario is a total loser, either way you get burned. We EMS'rs are some times our own worst enemies. It is a right and proper thing that we want to serve. We usually have a bias for action and don't like sitting around, but don't let that desire to spring into action get you in to trouble.

If you are having boss problems then I would like to officially welcome you to the world of Fire/Rescue and EMS. Congrats you've made the team! We all have have them, a fortunate few get to work with good ones, but they are a rare breed. My point here being I wouldn't make it a personal thing between you and your EMS manager. I would do my homework, be non-adversarial and let the law force your agencies hand.

They will either have to up the staffing or take your rig out of service when you do not have enough people. I wish you well in this, I really do, this is a tough one.

 

[BEorP]

What about using this as the thing that pushes you into EMT-P education/training?