A report that urges fire departments to reconsider their “fire-oriented” model of service may play into one California department’s budget cuts.
According to a report fromThe Sun(http://bit.ly/18sJJFm), San Bernardino Fire Chief George Avery says he is “considering elements” from a 2010-11 Santa Clara County Grand Jury report that examined nine fire agencies in the county and found that only 4 percent of the calls for service were to fires, with 70 percent being for medical service.
The report says fire departments should rethink their response protocols in light of the overwhelming demand for emergency medical service.
The report also suggests consolidating services from neighboring departments and reorganizing staffing so that seasons or times of day that are known to have a lower number of calls have fewer firefighters.
An plan due in late November must cut $4 million a year from the fire department’s budget.
Read further details athttp://bit.ly/18sJJFm.
For more on fire-based EMS, considerFire-Based EMS : The Solution for an Ailing System?,Riding Positions for Fire-Based EMS,Developing a Fire-Based EMS System: One Department’s Strategic Plan, andAre You Ready for EMS Challenges?
