BY BOBBY HALTON
The fire service has at its foundation certain core principles. Looking back, we see the natural evolution of these undeniable truths. Through our tactical application of these foundational principles, they changed as life changed. We did not change the mission but simply improved as technology provided us with better means of achieving our objectives. We have evolved from leather buckets to extruded polyurethane hoses, from wooden plugs to municipal hydrants, from rubber coats to highly evolved thermal resistant bunker gear. We do not have teletypes; we have computer-aided dispatch. We no longer wet our beards; we wear SCBA and face pieces. Smoke inhalation victims are not rolled over barrels to get bad air out and good air in; they are aggressively treated with high-flow O2.
At the most fundamental levels, we are, 2,000 years into our organized existence, still humbly doing the same work. In the beginning, we were formed to serve others in times of need by protecting, preserving, and-when necessary-valiantly saving the most important aspect of this world: human life. We have not deviated from our course. Today there are some who would like to portray the American fire service as having only a secondary role in the protection of life. This could not be further from the truth. We are now and will continue to be America’s first line of defense for all that threatens life.
The revolutionary advances discovered by corpsmen during the Korean and Vietnam wars were quickly adopted when these heroes returned to their fire departments following their discharge. These improvements catapulted EMS as combustion engines did fire apparatus. Fast forwarding 30 years to today, the fire service-based EMS model has grown tremendously (not surprisingly, because it is the most natural thing in the world for firefighters to do EMS).
EMS has always been and always will be a major part of our primary mission. As Chief of Department Edward F. Croker (FDNY, 1899-1911) said, “I have no ambition in this world but one, and that is to be a fireman. The position may, in the eyes of some, appear to be a lowly one; but we who know the work which the fireman has to do believe that his is a noble calling. Our proudest moment is to save lives. Under the impulse of such thoughts, the nobility of the occupation thrills us and stimulates us to deeds of daring, even of supreme sacrifice.”
Chief Croker would not make any distinction between the resuscitation of someone pulled from a burning building and someone who collapsed from a heart attack at work. To a commonsense firefighter, they are all some of our proudest moments. We make jokes about EMS and “Box” duty, but the reality is that it is as important today as truck work is to structural firefights. We do EMS better than anyone else, and we are proud of that.
A civilian recently told me he thought EMS work was morbid, and he said his firefighter friend didn’t like it because it was not what he signed up for. That is how the uninformed and the naive see EMS, as a separate role from firefighter. It is not; we save lives. It is tough duty because we care about people and get involved emotionally, but that is what makes us the best emergency medical people in the world. We will not let people give up on themselves or on life-sometimes God has other plans; but when He gives us a shot, we take it. Firefighters aren’t morbid because they do EMS; they are better citizens, better Dads and Moms, and better firefighters because they do EMS.
In 2005, the American fire service ran 14.35 million EMS-related calls, which makes us the undisputed largest provider. The fact is, 90 percent of career and volunteer fire departments deliver some level of EMS. There are other kinds of EMS services, such as private ambulance services and hospital-based ambulance groups, who feel they should be entitled to our hard-fought-for federal grant dollars. I respect the work they do, but they are not firefighters, and we are getting too few grant dollars as it is.
These groups are making claims on our money; they say there are not enough grant dollars going to EMS-based on-call numbers. That is a lie, as virtually every apparatus bought with grant dollars has provided and is providing EMS. Every piece of firefighting equipment is also EMS equipment. We do it because that is who we “firefighters” are. We swore to protect and defend life from all threats. Today across the country, fire departments are growing their EMS services to include transporting citizens to the hospitals, giving citizens the same care any one of us would get-the best care.
The voice of America’s EMTs is the Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Services. It speaks for all EMTs without bias or agenda. The two largest groups of EMTs in the world are the members of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). As firefighters, we need to embrace our traditional role as first responders while adopting a leadership stance in the delivery of EMS services. The use of the cross-trained firefighter/paramedic exemplifies our ability to adapt to our citizens’ needs.
Fire-based EMS systems ensure uniformity of care and timely service and reflect the community’s needs. Corporate profits, shareholder dividends, fusions/downsizing strategies, and centralized controls will never serve as a bearing in the Fire-Based EMS Model! The time for action is right now. Urge your IAFF and NVFC representatives to support those departments fighting the private raiders! Demand that your representatives vocally support our IAFF and NVFC leadership and protect what we struggled so courageously to build.
When firefighters are in trouble, they need other firefighters, people who know what we do, people who understand life and have dedicated themselves to protecting it. When we get jammed up doing our work, only fellow firefighters can go where we go. Likewise, when citizens are down, anywhere, any time, any place, they deserve the same quality of care. They deserve us. And we are coming. “Go ahead, Squad 51, what do you have?”
