Third Service Concept Laid to Rest?
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The Editor’s Opinion Page
Last February, three hearings were conducted by a study group made up of 10 members of the 35-member National Highway Safety Advisory Committee. The purpose of the hearings was to explore “the feasibility of establishing” a third uniformed service to provide emergency medical service throughout the country. This committee, incidentally, is appointed by the President to advise the secretary of the Department of Transportation.
In view of fire service expansion and success in EMS in the last 10 years, we are not sure just why these hearings were held at all. But we have a sneaky feeling that the Department of Transportation is seeking to broaden its base.
The report that came out of the hearings stated that “it is not important that the title ‘third service’ be used, but that quality emergency medical care be available…”
So far so good. But further down in the report, which gave considerable attention to the paid fire service, we find a recommendation that the secretary of transportation look into the “legal validity of strength and endurance tests for EMTs” and develop a model career ladder for EMTs. The criteria could include qualifying standards (developed by the secretary of transportation) which would ensure equal employment opportunity for men and women who are interested only in EMS as a career—which eliminates Fire Fighter/EMT and brings us back to the “third uniformed force” in fact, if not in name.
The advisers who prepared this report apparently had little knowledge of the size and condition of the paid departments in this country. There are only about 1300 paid departments in the 50 states, practically all of them running with minimum manpower. Not all of them provide EMS, and of those that do, all use the onduty fire fighter to provide this necessary service. To expect a financially strapped city, which can barely afford its minimum-sized fire department, to add a third service is absurd.
Now, let’s take the volunteer service which the advisory committee paid small attention to. Of the 17,000 fire departments which provide some form of EMS (USFA estimate), about 16,500 are volunteer. Traditionally the unpaid volunteer departments, with some exceptions, have members who serve as fire fighters and EMTs. There is no way that a “third service” could be developed among the volunteers. And tinkering with this vast group can only lead to an EMS disaster.
According to the United States Fire Administration, the fire service provides about 80 percent of the EMS in the nation. And the fire service—ever expanding and improving—is doing this at a minimum cost to the taxpayers. So why should we let anyone rock the boat.
Logically, the EMS should come under the Federal Emergency Management Agency, not the Department of Transportation. And since the USFA is part of the FEMA, it further follows that technology and training for EMS should come under this administration.
