Emergency Services
“When I call 911 with a medical emergency,
why do they send a Fire Truck?”
The question most often asked by citizens when they see a Fire Truck screaming down the street and they don’t see a fire! The question is legitimate because 80% of the time an ambulance is needed, not a fire truck. Ten years ago the Bonita Springs Fire Department realized they could not continue to grow because there simply were not enough fires; so they took on the responsibility as Emergency Medical First Responder.
“Bonita does not own one ambulance”.
Much worse; more than 80% of the calls are medical emergencies yet only 40% of the firefighters in Bonita Springs are qualified paramedics. Bonita has an IOS insurance rating of 3 (one is the highest) and the average response time is 8 minutes.
“we can well afford the highest level of emergency medical service conceivable.”
The Budget for Bonita Fire and Rescue which does not include ambulance service was in excess of $30 million last year. Now add to that an estimated $4 million that is included in your Lee County tax bill for ambulance service and we can well afford the highest level of emergency medical service conceivable.
The functional failure of Bonita Springs Fire and Rescue Service as medical first responder over the last 10 years is inexcusable and demands immediate attention from your elected Fire Board.
“Response time is excellent because units are not parked in a firehouse”
The City of Troy in Oakland County Michigan, a city of 81,000 (more than twice our
size) is similar to Bonita with numerous high rise buildings and headquarters to
several large companies, I-
Fire service in Troy consists of 14 full time firefighters and 180 authorized volunteers. Firefighters responded to 1500 calls last year which included fires, hazardous material spills, auto accident extractions and drowning. The city has an I0S class 3 rating with an operating budget of $3.9 million. (3.9 million not $30 million)
Medical First Responder in Troy is Alliance Mobile Health Service which responded with two paramedics in an ambulance to over 4,000 incidents last year; 90% within five minutes. Response time is excellent because these units are not fire trucks parked in a firehouse they are ambulances out on the street ready for action. The cost to taxpayers for providing 3 ambulances and 3 Mobil response units, total of 6 units on duty, is less than ½ million dollars per year.
A more local example is Weston Florida a city of 61,000 people located in Broward County. Weston has 3 fire stations and 4 fire engines, they rely on the county for backup and respond to all medical calls with two paramedics in an ambulance ready to transport to the hospital.
“It should go without saying the right equipment be sent to the scene and not waste resources”
Citizens expect the highest quality Emergency Medical Response that assures prompt, reliable and most important clinically competent service. Every responder to any medical emergency must have a positive impact on the patient care, adding value to the care being provided or they should not appear at the scene. It should go without saying that the right equipment be sent to the scene and not waste resources by assigning unproductive equipment or personnel.
To achieve the greatest efficiency and the shortest possible response time units should be mobile not parked in a fire station with personnel working an 8 or 10 hr shift to avoid fatigue. Each unit should be staffed with two “Public Safety Officers” trained and clinically qualified as paramedics and firefighters to encompass all the skills necessary to respond to any type of emergency.
These Mobil Response Units should be strategically located throughout the city with the capability of shifting locations frequently to anticipate the needs of the city and cover when other units are actively servicing patients or transporting to the hospital. Each unit should carry all the necessary first aide and advanced life support equipment, state of the art communications equipment and a devise to control traffic signals as they approach in emergency mode.
“Bonita Springs has some of the finest and best equipped firefighters in the nation, trouble is we don’t have enough fires!”
Four fire trucks strategically located at three public safety stations throughout the city should be adequate to cover a city with less than 200 fires per year. These fire trucks should be general purpose units; any additional specialty equipment could be on demand from the County or shared with neighboring departments. A minimum staff on duty with each fire engine could drive the truck to the fire location. Each Public Safety Officer in the field is a trained firefighter they have their personal firefighting equipment with them in their Mobile Response Unit and they will respond to each fire related or other emergency call as needed. In most cases at least two Mobil Response Units will be located closer to the fire than the fire fighting apparatus so response time should be greatly reduced.
We should make extensive use of volunteer firefighters. Chances are the public safety officers located in the neighborhood and some volunteers would arrive at the fire scene before the fire engine arrives. Early arrivals are able to evaluate the situation and prioritize the scene prior to the Fire equipments arrival. Seventy five percent of American communities are serviced by volunteer fire departments. While volunteers may not be considered adequate to fully cover large communities in today’s environment they are often used as back up and support in the case of major disasters such as hurricanes and brush fires.
“Waiting in an ambulance located in your neighborhood?”
When you go to sleep at night it is comforting to know that the police officers you have on duty are out patrolling in their vehicle not asleep at the Police Station. Wouldn’t it be comforting to know that the other emergency personnel you have on the payroll are also awake and patrolling your neighborhood?
If you or a loved one had a medical emergency in the middle of the night who would you prefer to be dispatched to your aid; a Firefighter asleep in a fire station who will respond with a fire truck or a clinically qualified paramedic awake and alert waiting in an ambulance located near your neighborhood?
“ Indviduals representing the taxpayers have laid the groundwork for significant reform.”
Bonita Springs Fire and Rescue Service is a separate taxing district controlled by a five member locally elected board. Until recently this five member board was controlled by the firefighters union through their strong support in local elections. In 2008 two members were elected promising to represent the interest of the citizens and taxpayers of Bonita Springs.
In the November 2010 election the firefighters union will try to regain control of this 5 member board by supporting three of their chosen candidates. Do not let this happen!
The individuals representing the taxpayers have laid the groundwork for significant reform. Electing three new members will bring meaningful improvement in the way emergency medical services are delivered to you in Bonita Springs.
Please note: The authors of this publication are not professional Fire Fighters or Paramedics and we do not represent ourselves as experts in the field of Emergency Services. We are simply ordinary citizens who observe how emergency services are delivered in other areas and ask the question; "would some of these techniques employed in our city result in a more efficient higher quality of service for our citizens?"
Bonita Springs Fire and Rescue responded to over 5,000 calls last year; 3,500 were Medical Emergencies and less than 150 were actually fire related. Unfortunately, leadership over the past 10 years has failed to recognize the changing nature of their service and continued to operate as if they were a Fire Department. Today, Bonita Springs has 13 fire trucks and 28 other vehicles with over 100 personnel located in 5 fire stations. But, Bonita does not own one ambulance and responds to all calls with a fire truck. We are forced to rely on Lee County who provides only two ambulances to cover the 45,000 people in Bonita Springs.