Funding & Staffing

In this week’s episode of Inside EMS, co-host Chris Cebollero and I discuss a couple of news articles in which one EMS agency had to write off nearly $12 million in unpaid bills, and how one volunteer department is trying to incentivize volunteers with tax credits. College tuition waivers at state universities or health insurance for squad members are other ...

EMS volunteer squads are like a battered wife, covered in bruises and scared of her own shadow, stuck in an abusive relationship with Small Town America.* Because, if you ever suggest that perhaps their town could and should pay them for their services, but never will as long as they're willing to provide them for free, they're all, "B-b-but I ...

For many years, fire departments (many, but not all), have had their capabilities rated by the Insurance Services Office. These ratings, formally referred to as Public Protection Classifications,  graded fire departments on a set of standardized benchmarks on such things as response times, coverage area size, water pressure, number of hydrants, etc., as well as proficiency in the technical aspects ...

Chime in with your comments, but keep them civil or you'll eat Ban Hammer. If the most constructive statement you have to offer is calling someone a hose monkey or a stretcher fetcher, or yet another tired iteration of "private EMS cares more about money than people" or "firefighters are a bunch of testoterone addicts who suck at medical care," find another forum, please.