Chautauqua County’s addition of EMS fly cars has been a literal lifesaver for many in Chautauqua County.
The system, which is backed by county taxpayers, has taken some of the pressure off of many of the county’s rural fire departments that have struggled over the years to recruit new members to replace retiring members – in particular EMTs. The fly car system comes at a cost, but that cost, in our opinion, is worth it given the fly car system’s use.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a membership issue lurking beneath the surface in many rural volunteer fire departments. That subterranean issue bubbled up to the surface recently in Clymer, where department officials issued a public plea for EMTs. Clymer has 11 EMTs, but they also have jobs and family lives, which means it can be difficult to have one available every time Clymer’s ambulance is needed to respond. Dale Willink, a trustee and member of the Clymer Volunteer Fire Department, said the department recently had a call where Clymer had to wait for assistance from the Falconer Volunteer Fire Department for 35 minutes before being able to respond to the call.
The issues that drove the lack of EMTs haven’t changed over the course of the years – and in fact may have gotten worse. Training – both the amount of time and the cost – tends to drive people away from being a volunteer EMT in favor of joining a paid fire department or EMS company. The amount of paperwork required after an EMS call doesn’t help given that volunteer EMTs need to be able to quickly return to their jobs and families, not spend an extra hour or two completing charts and paperwork that are required by the state.
What’s happening in Clymer isn’t an isolated situation – Clymer officials were just the most public in calling out for new blood.
Chautauqua County’s fly car system has been a life saver, but we also wonder if and others like it around the state have papered over an ugly reality that volunteer fire companies know and the public doesn’t – that volunteer fire departments are still struggling to recruit enough members, particularly EMTs, to respond when people need help.
In our view, the state has to do more to make volunteer EMT service less of a hassle while still making sure EMTs are qualified. That’s a tight rope to walk – but it appears state training and paperwork requirements are a big part of the problem getting new EMTs to join fire departments and continue their service over the years. Making it easier to help may help lessen this growing problem.
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Fly Car System Doesn’t Mean Rural EMT Shortage Is Over
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31.01.2024
Chautauqua County’s addition of EMS fly cars has been a literal lifesaver for many in Chautauqua County.
The system, which is backed by county taxpayers, has taken some of the pressure off of many of the county’s rural fire departments that have struggled over the years to recruit new members to replace retiring members – in particular EMTs. The fly car system comes at a cost, but that cost, in our opinion, is worth it given the fly car system’s use.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a membership issue lurking beneath the surface in many rural volunteer fire departments. That subterranean issue bubbled up to the surface........
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