CHICAGO TO IMPLEMENT PARAMEDIC-ENGINE COMPANIES

ENN EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORTS-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Saturday, July 12, 1997 Vol. 1 - 193

By Steve Macko, ERRI Risk Analyst

CHICAGO (ENN) - Under a $600,000 plan that is aimed at answering the demand for more ambulances, the Chicago Fire Department within the next three months will implement a plan that will finally make 25 percent of the engine companies in the city become Paramedic-Engines.

The chairman of the City Council Committee on Police and Fire, Alderman William Beavers said, "Right now, fire engines respond when an ambulance can't, but they can't do anything. They don't have defibrillators. They can't give oxygen or medication. All they can do is first aid, which could mean wiping a patient's brow or holding their hand until the ambulance gets there."

Fully equipped and staffed Paramedic-Engines are more cost-effective way to increase emergency medical service than just adding more ambulances. Instead of spending $6.5 million to purchase and staff ten more ambulances Mayor Richard Daley is taking credit for a plan that will add the equivalent of 24 ambulances for less than one-tenth of the cost.

This plan, however, is not exclusively a Daley invention. The Chicago-based Emergency Response and Research Institute has been strongly advocating the Paramedic-Engine concept for Chicago for several years. A number of other cities have already implemented similar programs, when faced with an increasing number of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls and a decreasing number of fires.

Under the plan, 24 of Chicago's 99 engine companies will be staffed with firefighters cross-trained as paramedics. The new Paramedic-Engine companies will carry Advanced Life Support equipment that will include cardiac monitors, airway suction unit, oxygen, telemetry radio, intravenous fluids, medications, child delivery kit, and trauma supplies. Cost of the equipment will be $25,000 per paramedic-engine.

The plan will not require a need for more paramedics. Instead, about 130 firefighters cross-trained as paramedics will be assigned to the companies that now handle the most "ambulance assist" calls.

The number of such "ambulance assist" calls has dramatically increased in recent years, from 46,000 in 1988 to 65,000 in 1996. In the same period, the number of structural fire calls in Chicago has decreased from 8,860 to 6,268. Chicago handled over 220,000 emergency medical runs in 1996.

The ENN EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT is a subscription publication of the EmergencyNet NEWS Service, which is a part of the Chicago-based Emergency Response and Research Institute. This publication specializes in Law Enforcement/Fire/EMS/Disaster and Medical Issues.

Emergency Response and Research Institute
6348 N Milwaukee Ave, Suite 312, Chicago, Illinois 60646 USA
773-631-ERRI Voice/Voice Mail
773-631-4703 Fax
773-631-3467 Computer/Modem - EMERGENCY BBS
Internet e-mail: enn@emergency.com
WWW page: http://www.emergency.com
Telnet: emergency.com

Return to the Fire Operations page

Return to the EMS Operations page