I got a comment on my last post and my reply is too big for the comments section so I'm gonna post it.

This came from the author of Random Acts of Reality and I've added his link to my list to the right.

"Hi there, In England the fire service and the ambulance trust are completely seperate. There was a recent report that the Fire Service spen 97% of the time on station, while Ambulance workers spend 3% of the time on station. So I think EMS being 75% of your calls may be a little low...unless of course, all Americans are arsonists..."

To which I reply:

In many jurisdictions in the US, there are ambulance trusts and ambulance service providers completely separate from the fire department as well. Tulsa, OK, Kansas City, KS, Richmond, VA, just to name a few.

I spent a long time fighting shipboard fires in the Coast Guard and have seen them change their policy from "fight the fire, save the ship" to "rescue the people and let it burn." With land based fire, we have seen a reduction of fire calls with the increase fire code requirements, and better construction of homes and offices. Therefore, the vehicles leave the station on EMS calls mostly. Some areas even have a policy of sending fire apparatus on EMS calls and that distorts the statistics of need for fire service.

Unfortunately, Where I serve, EMS is crammed into the fire service and it appears it shall remain so for a long time. The protocols and standards of care come from an organization outside the fire department but in my area, Fire is King.

Yes, A big fat, gluttonous blob of a king taking all the glory and benefit of the work of it's peons.

"sigh!"

Let me know what you think. If your comment is too long for my comments section, email me and I'll post it.

-maddog