The city will no longer require that two paramedics respond to emergency medical services calls, prompting pushback from the firefighters union.
By Olivia Stevens Source Daily Southtown (Tinley Park, Ill.) (TNS)
Country Club Hills will no longer require that two paramedics respond to emergency medical services calls, prompting pushback from the firefighters union.
The Country Club Hills Fire Department Local 2720, in a Jan. 26 Facebook post, said it was notified of the change to require only one paramedic along with an emergency medical technician basic with less training and experience, on each ambulance starting Feb. 3.
“Local 2720 strongly disagrees with these extreme changes in services being provided to the residents,” the post stated.
The union did not respond to requests for comment beyond their post.
The union said the city also now counts EMT basics toward minimum staffing levels, allowing it to cut its daily staffing from six people per day to four.
Mayor James Ford said by staffing ambulances with one EMT basic and one paramedic, rather than two paramedics, the city still complies with requirements set by the Illinois Department of Public Health and follows the same minimum staffing levels as neighboring municipalities.
The changes follow concerns from the Frankfort fire union about staffing in its village, going so far as posting on social media to notify the public when fire stations were left unmanned as a matter of safety.
“Everyone knows the south suburbs are struggling because of the high taxes,” Ford said Thursday. “So we have to make adjustments to make sure we continue to stay in business.”
Since Feb. 3, Ford said he has not heard of any reductions in the quality of service provided on the two ambulances that serve the city of about 17,000 people. He also criticized the firefighters union for airing out its concerns on social media, as they are working with the city to negotiate a new contract.
“For them to go to the news media or social media — it’s totally unheard of,” Ford said. “I’ve never heard that in my whole life as an elected official.”
EMT basics, beyond having a high school diploma or GED, are trained through a one semester course that allows them to assess vital signs, provide CPR, operate an automated external defibrillator, deliver oxygen to patients, bandage wounds, splint injured limbs and assess a patient’s medical condition through a series of questions, according to the city of Chicago’s EMT and paramedics information.
Paramedics typically must have experience as EMT basics and complete advanced training and extensive clinical experiences that allow them to intubate a patient, defibrillate patients in cardiac arrest, administer medications and gain a greater understanding of anatomy and physiology, according to the city of Chicago.
Chicago EMT basics typically make earn between $30,000 and $50,000 per year, where Chicago paramedics make between $42,000 and $63,000, according to the Lifeline Ambulance Network.
Ford declined to divulge details on savings brought by changing minimum staffing within the Fire Department, but said the decision was made with taxpayers in mind.
The Local 2720 post received support from the Oak Forest Fire Fighters Union Local 3039, which posted that it was a “sad day for our neighbors to the east.”
“Lowering the bar or the level of care is never the answer and only makes the administrator’s and elected officials’ lives easier!” the union wrote in their post.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
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