STREET MEDIC - FEDERAL EMS OFFICE SURVEY

The bottom line is that if the individuals who are in the streets doing this job day in and day out DON'T STAND TO BE COUNTED AND HEARD, THE SAME OLD CRAP WILL CONTINUE. There is no FREE lunch EVER. Change will start when you make a commitment to your profession, like joining your professional association at the state and national level and getting active. If we do not get active and support these organizations helping us we will have no one to blame but ourselves. EMS is in a bad way all over this nation. Somehow we are able to hobble along and get the job done in spite of the bureaucrats at the state and federal governments. The successes of EMS maintaining operations are a result of the dedicated people in the streets continuing to sacrfice themselves to make the system work. How many more overtime shifts or volunteer on-call tours will you have to work before the state and feds admit the recruitment and retention crisis.. And do something to help EMS resolve it??? How many more systems public, private and volunteer are going to be on the brink collapse because reimbursements have been reduced to a level that does not make the break even point for delivery? How many more brothers & sisters will be crippled or killed because they don't have the equipment that that they need to stay safe while they respond to another emergency or disaster placing themselves in harms way? This has to stop and it has to stop now. It is time for the people doing the job in the streets of this nation to stand up, speak up and move up to lead EMS.

Chief K. McElhearn EMT-P Another Senior EMS person fed up with the neglect and negligence.