800trashman
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Does anyone know when/why medic calls are now dispatched with "paramedic engines"? I first heard this description today while listening to calls.
Montgomery Co MD FD question
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troymail
Silent Key
I don't know if Paramedic Engines are a new thing for Montgomery County or not (based on the question). So here is a generic answer on "Paramedic Engines".
Departments are putting paramedics on Engine and Truck companies these days to have better advanced life support (ALS) coverage. The idea is to get an ALS provider to the patient sooner and then keep them in the community on the fire apparatus where they are needed rather than stuck on a transport unit (ambulance) that is transporting a lower priority patient. If the patient turns out to need the higher level of care, the paramedic from the engine can join the ambulance/medic crew to "upgrade" the crew for the duration of that call/transport - otherwise return with the engine for the next call while the ambulance transports the lower priority patient.
Some departments decided a while back they needed 2 EMT-Paramedics on all transport (ambulance) units but then realized they were just tying up and wasting these resources transporting "routine" patients that didn't need a paramedic. It was also realized that even for many "higher priority" patients, you still only really need 1 good paramedic not 2 (the driver can be a lower-level EMT Basic).
Had them since around 1995 maybe? They previously called them AFRAs. This was found in google:
MCFRS’ new ALS service
delivery model involving the use of alternatively-staffed medic units and increased use of
ALS first-responder apparatus (AFRA). The department’s intent is to implement the “1
and 1” ALS deployment model incrementally, whereby minimum staffing composition of
medic units is changed from two paramedics to one paramedic and one Emergency
Medical Technician (EMT) - typically a firefighter. The second paramedic position on
existing medic units would be reassigned to serve as the fourth position (i.e., firefighterparamedic) on an engine (or in one case on an aerial unit) at the same station as the medic
unit, thus creating an AFRA in addition to the medic unit. The AFRA would typically
respond along with that station’s medic unit, or another available medic unit, to ALS
incidents. This ALS delivery model would provide for the collective response of two
paramedics and four EMTs (between the AFRA and medic unit), thus increasing the
effectiveness of ALS patient care while also meeting NFPA Standard 1710 staffing
requirements for engines with regard to fire suppression.
MCFRS’ new ALS service
delivery model involving the use of alternatively-staffed medic units and increased use of
ALS first-responder apparatus (AFRA). The department’s intent is to implement the “1
and 1” ALS deployment model incrementally, whereby minimum staffing composition of
medic units is changed from two paramedics to one paramedic and one Emergency
Medical Technician (EMT) - typically a firefighter. The second paramedic position on
existing medic units would be reassigned to serve as the fourth position (i.e., firefighterparamedic) on an engine (or in one case on an aerial unit) at the same station as the medic
unit, thus creating an AFRA in addition to the medic unit. The AFRA would typically
respond along with that station’s medic unit, or another available medic unit, to ALS
incidents. This ALS delivery model would provide for the collective response of two
paramedics and four EMTs (between the AFRA and medic unit), thus increasing the
effectiveness of ALS patient care while also meeting NFPA Standard 1710 staffing
requirements for engines with regard to fire suppression.
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