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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/05/2008 00 Misc Distributed at the MeetingDistribufed at _ 8- "c8 Business Meeting August 4, 2008 Bob Hall Address Subject: Response to EMS Levy Questions Dear Mr. Hall Thank you for your questions regarding the proposed EMS Levy under discussion by the City Council. Your letter presents several questions, many of which you have enumerated, and several which were contained in the within body of your letter. In responding I have replicated your questions as presented and provided responses to each. J. N'lnere sloes EATS question prioa-iti =e li�ithin City of Ycrkirniar '.s• needs? As Fire Chief I will note that the addition of the 12 professional Firefighters proposed in the Levy will provide for decreased response times to Fire /EMS events by the Department which is a life safety issue. That the proposed EMS Levy would also fund and maintain certification of 18 professional Firefighters as Para - medics (FF /PMs) only serves to enhance pre - hospital care for those citizens in medical distress. As to the priority of this issue among the other issues affecting the residents of Yakima, that is a policy decision of the City Council. 2. 1 would like to see a graph showing 20 years of'YFD calls vs. Yakima population broken out as medical (b), type) vs others. Please see below: Year Population # of Responses % of Medical Emergencies 1987 49,600 3,189 52% 2007 85,000 9,000 76% The reader will note the significant increase in calls, and calls per capita, as well as the nature of those calls. In raw numbers the number of calls of an emergency medical nature over the 20 year period increased by over 400 %. 3. Bring HR in with data on applications.for volnnveer frr-elighters received in the last 36. months by Yakima and sin- ( 6) nearby deper-tments (Jidl time volunteers). Yakima Fire Department has not utilized volunteer firefighters for firefighting or rendering emergency medical aid for 15 years. Nationwide, it has become increasingly difficult to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. There are several reasons for this; calls for service keep rising, training mandates are Higher and employers are less likely to release a worker to respond to emergencies. 4. Meet with Rating Bureau (see insurance carrier) to get twenty year history of Yakinta's rating and what impact the Bureau's rating has today or insurance premiums for Cit, of Yakinna, Yakima School District, Snmfair Chevrolet, and an average single family home within the city limits. In 1992. the Washington State Rating Bureau (WSRB) dropped Yakima's rating from a `)" to a "4 This was due in large part to the Bureau's findings of inadequate staffing levels and substandard apparatus. According to area insurance agents, for every point change (in either direction), commercial, industrial and businesses will experience approximately a 10% fluctuation in fire insurance premiums (especially when improved from "4" to "3 "). Homeowners would realize a smaller fluctuation in premiums (if rating is improved fi-om a "4" to a While a reduction in insurance premiums would be welcome, the impetus behind this proposal is to reduce response times to improve the chance for survival of those residents and visitors requiring timely fire response and /or emergency medical aid. At present, response times are not at the level they were 20 years ago. 5. ld'hat percent of calls ar•e.for YFD only in past 5 years v.s% calls requiring both public and private service? Unable to calculate as this information has not been tracked, attempts at a percentage would be purely speculative. 6. In past 5 years what percent offirst responders in second part of question 5 is YFD vs. private .selTice? See answer to #5 above. 7. Compare private sen-ice records on response tine to YFD. YFD average response time to medical emergencies in 2007 was 4:38. YFD units are first on -scene at medical emergencies > 50% of the time, in spite of our response times having declined over the past several years. 8. How marry paramedics on YFD staff today? lei ithout EATS LeiY, what was the plan? The Department has no paramedic program. While there are two Yakima firefighters currently certified as paramedics, they are not allowed to utilize their advanced skills. Without passing an EMS levy ASAP, pre - hospital care and fire protection will continue to decline as a result the community vulnerability to these types of events will increase. The goal of the proposed EMS Levy is to get a paramedic to the patient's side faster! Because YFD units are on scene first more than 50% of the time, we are missing an opportunity to positively impact patient care. In addition, a "team" of two paramedics on scene (1 private ambulance and 1 firefighter) enhances care, particularly in complex cases, or events with multiple casualties. This concept is nothing new, and in fact has been utilized throughout the state and nation for over 35 years. On a critical patient, numerous procedures must be completed in a quick and efficient manner if the patient is going to survive. A single paramedic cannot possibly perform these in a timely manner. Equally critical to the safety of our community, the EMS Leery is also proposed to address a serious decline the Departments ability to even maintain let alone improve response times and cover the increasing number of responses. Short of an EMS Levy, the City Council will have to make a determination to either accept the continued decline in response times and capabilities of the Department or reallocate resources from other general government functions to the Fire Department. We are not aware of any plan from the private carriers to enhance paramedic services to the community. 9. Read job description ql firefighter arid paramedic. A copy of the YFD Firefighter job description is attached. Cross trained, dual -role firefighter /paramedics have proven to be successful in Washington State and throughout the Nation for over 35 years. -YFD's number 1 priority is... to provide better patient care. - "ALS" ambulance co's. number 1 priority is ... to make a profit. 10. 111hat are pay scales of each? YFD Firefighter pay scale is $4,071 - $5,521 per month. According to a former employee of "ALS" Ambulance Company, starting pay for a paramedic is $11.00 per hour and no benefits for the first 6 months. 11. Since the department sa } %s paramedics hired b_y YFD come- from the private carriers, ii hat was or is wage scale and benefits for private carriers? Compare that data to YFD totals per position. To the extent the program is funded, and they are otherwise qualified, some future YFD paramedics may come from the private carriers. However private PM's are "single function" employees. (EMS only) and may not be capable to succeed as professional Firefighters. Professional firefighters are the public's first line of defense in virtually any type of emergency, not everyone is up to the rigors this type of duty requires. y In contrast, cross trained, dual -role professional FF /PM's are just that — "cross- trained" in firefighting, technical rescue, hazardous materials, swift water rescue, ice rescue, public education, fire prevention, auto extrication, etc., AND EMS. Several of the FF /PMs would come from the ranks of the YFD. These Firefighters would attend paramedic school and become certified FF /PM's. 12. Hole many calls had only one pcn-amedic responding, and how- marry negative events occurred in the last S years? See attached concerns and complaints from the medical community of private paramedic turnover and patient care mistakes. The American Heart Association (long recognized as a leader in pre - hospital care protocol) recommends that a MINIMUM of 2 Paramedics respond to emergencies. In addition, an AHA study showed that EMS systems with survival rates of greater than 20% (for patients in ventricular fibrillation), response teams had a minimum of 2 Paramedics. The City of Yakima does not need to go to the expense of commissioning an independent study to determine whether getting a paramedic to the patient's side faster or having a team of two paramedics is a good thing. When it comes to life- saving services, a cost /benefit analysis is difficult to While the department doesn't keep statistics on what the improvement to pre - hospital care may have been had an additional paramedic been on scene, this question has been answered in study after study and - Its common sense! That's Nvhv it is utilized across the State and Nation. An event I personally recently witnessed was that of a YPD motor officer critically injured, who lay in the street for 2S minutes before finally being taken to the hospital in large part because there was only one inexperienced paramedic on scene! 13. Back to HR research - whal is tenure of the average paramedic employed in Yakima County? Follow- career paths - where does it lead and why? Most private ambulance paramedics are here only to obtain experience and build their resume. Many use it as a stepping stone until they are hired by a fire department. In contrast, an FF /PM is in a professional career path. With it comes expertise, confidence, continuous improvement in skills and technical knowledge, familiarity with the medical community, and a person dedicated to our community that will stick around. 14. YFD reported 61 % turnover in paramedics. I41'hat 1 heard is even- 3 years, or 20% a rear, while the public attending who spoke to yo►r at the Council said 61% annual turnover. GJ'lrat did yorr hear and ii -hat is the fact (once again let HR ascertain the facts). The facts are: From .Lune 2006 to .June 2008, "ALS" Ambulance Company had a 61 % turnover rate for their paramedics. That is the highest in Yakima County. The SAME PROBLEM was addressed by the medical community 10 YEARS AGO! In contrast, turnover rates of public sector FF /PMs are far less than 10% and largely due to retirement. 15. One speaker Tuesclay stated that Yakima holds the highest percentage ofpararnedics per capita in the nation. Ls that a fact? W y? These Private Paramedics serve the ENTIRE county -not just the city of Yakima. They routinely are out of the region on long inter- facility transports. Paramedic per capita may sound relevant and indeed may look impressive on paper, but in and of itself is a useless statistic. This statistic has nothing to do with patient care. • It doesn't address logistics of getting a paramedic to the patient's side faster. • It doesn't address the benefits to the critically injured or ill patient of a team of 2 paramedics. In my attempt to gauge how many currently certified paramedics would need to be hired vs. how many firefighters would be sent to paramedic school, I sent a survey out to the YFD employees. As you noted in your letter, 25 YFD members have expressed interest in paramedic training. I honestly was stunned that out of 57 firefighters, 44% are willing to invest 1 year of their lives to go to paramedic school to better serve our community. This level of interest demonstrates the commitment of YFD personnel to improve pre - hospital emergency care in their community. In the event the program is funded, a competitive exam would be conducted and the top candidates would be selected to go to paramedic school. In closing, as Chief I strongly believe that the citizens of Yakima deserve the same level of Fire Protection and Pre - Hospital Emergency Care as those living on the Nvest side or the tri- cities! Sincerely Charlie Hines Date Open ANNOUNCES AN EMPLOYMENT OPPC AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, FIREFIGHTER Job Code: 06 -6321 May 5, 2006 Date Close: May s0, 2006 City of Yakima 2006 Salary (eff. 7/1/06): $3,839.48 - $5,205.37 per month City of Union Gap 2005 Salary: $3,044.00 - $3,738.00 per month FOR YOUR APPLICATION TO BE CONSIDERED.. FOR FIREFIGHTER YOU MUST COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING FORMS: APPLICATION BUBBLE SHEET (NOT AVAILABLE ON -LINE) CRITERIA FOR RANKING FORM AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FORM (OPTIONAL) APPLICATION FEE OR WAIVER OPENING: The Cities of Yakima and Union Gap are now accepting applications to form a register of eligible candidates for the position of Firefighter. SUMMARY OF DUTIES: Under the supervision of a commanding officer, is responsible for the protection of life and property through firefighting, rescue, medical emergency and fire prevention activities. This work requires performance of hazardous tasks under emergency conditions that may involve strenuous exertion. A large part of duty time is spent in supervised training, pre -fire planning, inspections, maintaining equipment and cleaning and maintaining quarters. Typically Firefighters are required to work 24 -hour shifts. QUALIFICATION GUIDELINES: Must be able to be lawfully employed in the U.S., have a good command of reading and writing in the English language and be a high school graduate or the equivalent. Must be in excellent physical condition and be able to perform the full range of required_ duties _Applicants_mu.st_ possess _ o.r _ be _ ab.le _ to _ o.btain -a valid _Washino.ton_StatP_Driver's. Yakima ,ah woz Ja1y8U3jy/0jg /ojme�/jy administered at the Howard Johnson Hotel, located at 9 North 9th Street, Yakima, Washington (map enclosed). The test will be administered one time only on Friday June 16 2006 at 9:00 a.m. Please arrive approximately 15 -20 minutes prior to the start time to check in. Late applicants will not be admitted to the exam. Howard Johnson Hotel has reserved a block of rooms for applicants coming from out of town to take the written examination. Please tell them when you make your reservations that you will be testing for Yakima Firefighter. Their phone number is (509)452 -6511. The training facility will be available for you to visit, and observe a demonstration of the physical agility test. The demonstration will be given on Friday, June 16, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. The training facility is located at Fire Station #95, 807 East Nob Hill Blvd., just west of Central Washington State Fairgrounds. Prior to appointment, candidates must pass the physical agility test, a psychological and medical examination. All appointments are subject to successful completion of Fire Department basic training and a one -year probationary period_ The strength and agility portion will evaluate: manual dexterity, capacity to tolerate heights, ability to follow basic instructions, presence of claustrophobia, capability to perform with standard firefighting apparatus or equipment, and physical stamina. Overall examination scores will be weighted as follows for placement on the Yakima Civil Service Register: Written ............ 50% of score Physical Agility .......... Pass/Fail Oral ....................... 50% of score The Physical Agility test will be given on July 6 and 7, 2006. The oral exam will be given the week of July 17, 2006. Persons invited to these exams will receive information on time and place to report. Veteran's preference will be granted in accordance with RCW 41.04. Additional preference points will be granted in accordance with each department's rules. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide any and all documentation necessary to prove the requirements for criteria have been met. If verification is not provided at the time of application, credit will not be given._ Applications must be postmarked or received by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2006. Late applications will not be accepted. Each employee in the Fire Department may become or remain a member of the Union. Employees not desiring membership, in the Union shall be subject to a representation service fee equal to basic mandatory dues and assessment, which shall be a condition of continued employment. Said membership or fee payment shall become mandatory upon successful completion of a one -year period of service with the Fire Department and in accordance with provisions of the Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act. R.C.W. 41.56. Nothing herein shall preclude membership in the Union of any employee who so requests prior to completion of one year of service. Verification of identity and United States work authorization must be completed before employment commences as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act. WOMEN AND MINORITIES AND BILINGUAL PERSONS (SPANISH /ENGLISH) ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY THE CITIES OF YAKIMA AND UNION GAP HAVE A "NO SMOKING" POLICY IN ALL CITY FACILITIES AND ALL CITY VEHICLES AND A SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY IN FORCE.