There are two primary kinds of emergency responses: firefighting and emergency medical response. These two functions are equally important, but it’s becoming more common for one to fall short given the lack of industry funding, support or staffing.
In this article, we’re going to cover some obvious signs your clients can acknowledge that indicate their emergency medical service provider is lacking while ensuring their Emergency Medical Responder Insurance policies are reviewed for accuracy and coverage limits.
Lack of leadership.
The fire chief is responsible for providing leadership and support to the team—the one who needs to champion for all divisions and operations within the fire department. This includes EMS, emergency management, hazmat, fire prevention, technical rescue and any other function performed by the department.
To imply that EMS is a problem is an attitude that trickles down through the entire fire department, especially when the message comes from the fire chief, explains Firehouse.
The ambulance has a bad reputation.
If your clients and their crews refuse to work on the ambulance unless they have to, chances are their EMS program is lacking. Not all aspects of the job are going to be favored, but acknowledging the ambulance’s tarnished reputation is the first step in revamping their EMS program.
Unfair money allocation.
If fire rigs get all of the equipment and technology and ambulances are left with the scraps, this is another sure-fire sign the department is failing. Proper budgeting should be done within all functions of the fire department based upon need.
Every area of the fire department should be viewed as mission-critical. If one area does not get the resources it needs, it can drag the rest of the fire department down, says the article.
Pay issues.
A firefighter with a paramedic license is qualified to make more than a firefighter without one. Paying both firefighters the same wage when one has a more advanced skill set than the other is a red flag for the department.
Lack of staff.
This is a constant theme in this industry, and a lack of staff results in issues in almost every aspect of the job. When it comes to EMS support, stretching employees thin is bound to cause some EMS issues to crop up over time. If your clients don’t have the firefighters, paramedics, supervisors, and instructors they need to do their jobs adequately, the whole department will suffer.
About Provident Fire Plus
At Provident Fire Plus, we offer custom tailored packages to best protect firefighters and volunteer firefighters. We understand the risks that emergency response teams are subjected to on a daily basis, and have worked to serve these dedicated professionals for over 87 years. For more information about our products and policies, we invite you to contact our experts today at (855) 201-8880.