PAX Centurion - May / June 2013

Page 38 • PAX CENTURION • May/June 2013 617-989-BPPA (2772) You would think so… Boston EMS Corner: Ed McCarthy Y ou would think that the administrators at the Public Health Commission, which oversees the ambulance service in Bos- ton, would be proud of Boston EMS.You would think that Boston EMS would be the brightest jewel in their crown. As I write this, Boston EMS is at the top of its game. According to the posted statistics, (if I read the chart right), we meet or exceed the goal response times by as much as 2.86 percent over the past 12 months. Of the average 9,600 calls a month EMS does, we are on scene quicker, at the patient’s side faster, and at the hospital for defini- tive care more rapidly than ever before. Boston EMS cardiac arrest survival rates are among the highest in the nation, hovering between 30 and 40 percent. A staggering figure when you consider the 27 percent survival rate of cardiac arrests that occur in doctors’ offices, a statis- tic compiled by the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation in Pennsylvania. We lead the state of Massachusetts in special project waivers, striving to find more ways to bring innovative and cutting-edge tools and medi- cal capabilities right to the patient’s bedside; measures that the state later adopts as standards of care - after they were tested and proven at Boston EMS. The department is number one in emergency preparedness, with intensive training in disaster management, Hazardous Mate- rial accident scene management, and weapons of mass destruction response. The Special Operations division of Boston EMS regularly plans for the unthinkable, and creates detailed plans for response to emergencies during special events. Boston EMS leads the way in data gathering, enabling the identification of trends in calls for help, alert- ing EMS administrators to a spike in certain types of calls in a certain area, or a specific complaint. There are simply too many innovations to mention here, from the specialized bariatric ambulance for the critically obese, to the deployment of the bike team, and harbor units. Boston EMS members performed spectacularly at the Boston Marathon, running into blast zones when others were running away. Even when warned about suspected unexploded devices nearby, EMTs stood their ground, unafraid, and cared for victims. Due to lessons learned in the Middle East, and presented in training ses- sions where their use was emphasized, (another innovation), BEMS members rapidly applied tourniquets, and undoubtedly saved many lives. Rapid triage, treatment, staging, and transport by a flawlessly executed Mass Casualty Management system resulted in over ninety patients, many of them critical, transported to hospitals in less than thirty minutes - a feat unprecedented in the history of all of EMS since the invention of the service. Think about the enormity of that for a moment. During EMS week, the Boston City Council gave Boston EMS a standing ovation, and adopted a resolution recognizing Boston EMS as the best EMS service in the nation. Indeed, even the President of the United States recognized Boston EMS in his proclamation dated May 17, 2013: “When explosives went off at the Boston Marathon, EMS personnel rushed toward the blasts and, with selfless disre- gard for their own safety, immediately tended to the injured.” Surely there can be no higher level of praise.You would think that the Public health Commission, our administrators, would be proud of us. Perhaps this is a poor analogy, but I’m proud of my kids when they bring home a good report card, or hit one over the fence.You would think that the commission would be taking steps to promote EMS and ensure fiscal stability for the future operation of the depart- ment.You would think that the PHC would be earnestly bargaining in good faith to settle an expired contract with the BPPA/EMS division to ensure that the best EMTs and Paramedics in the nation, if not the world, continued to care for the citi- zens of Boston, whom they claim to be concerned about.You would think that EMS would be the biggest feather in their cap. And you would be wrong. Recent meetings and conversa- tions with Public Health Commission administrators have demonstrated a complete lack of regard or respect for the EMTs and Paramedics at Boston EMS. Continuous contract negotiations have dragged on for THREEYEARS with no progress whatsoever, culminating in the recent claim by PHC attorneys that they have no power to make any decisions, whereupon they broke off negotiations, saying that we were at a dead-end. Even when EMS negotiators made concessions, and simply asked for the same things that the other bargaining units of the Commission receive, they were told ‘no’. Does that mean three years of meetings have been wasted on some kind of contrived stalling tactic? The disdain the Commission holds EMS in has made for some awkward moments at City Hall. It must have been weird to portray Boston EMS as a bunch of argumentative inflexible malcontents to a City Council, who lauded the department with praise and applause only days before. So what does Boston EMS have to do to gain some respect and consideration from the Public Health Commission?As mentioned above, I thought we were doing a pretty good job. We are already the model EMS service for the Nation, if not the world. We are already the cutting-edge innovator service in our field. So what are we miss- ing?What more do they expect? I’ll tell you what they CAN expect. They can expect more organized union activity. They can expect the BPPA/EMS division to stand up for their members. They can expect EMS to ratchet up the pressure to deal with us fairly. They can expect a return to the negotiation table. And everyone in Boston can expect Boston EMS to provide the unparalleled pre-hospital care that it has always provided - and always will. Boston EMS members performed spectacularly at the Boston Marathon, running into blast zones when others were running away. Even when warned about suspected unexploded devices nearby, EMTs stood their ground, unafraid, and cared for victims.