Guest guest Posted January 14, 1999 Report Share Posted January 14, 1999 I have sat in on Pt. Arthur's City Council meetings and I have to say that they are very unimpressive people no wonder the city is in such bad shape [texasems-L] Re: AMR in Port Arthur > > ><< Do you mean two different companies are taking care of one city >alternately? >> > >Yup, that's how Port Arthur (and the area called " mid-county " , which includes >Nederland, Port Neches, and Groves) work their EMS system. It's the worst >thing I've ever witnessed in my 20 years. > >The deal works like this: if you want to run transfers in Port Arthur, you >have to be permitted via City Council vote and you have to agree to share in >911 responsibility. Recently, they added the requirement that you have to >pay Port Arthur $50,000 for the priviledge of operating in the City, too. > >If there are two agencies which have been given permission, as there are now, >then those two agencies alternate 911 responsibility on a weekly basis. For a >short time recently, there were *three* services rotating 911 response for the >mid-county area! > >In the past, this arrangement has fostered unmitigated " call jumping " between >the two services....one of them would hear the other be dispatched to a 911 >call, and the " off rotation " service would send one of its units too, claiming >to have received a " private call " . Of course, Port Arthur makes no attempt to >mitigate these activities. > >Beyond that, such a rotation agreement poses significant quality challenges, >such as integrating and orienting the fire-based first responders. Can you >imagine being a firefighter in Port Arthur? Just when you learned where AMR >keeps their backboards or portable suction unit, Goldstar assumes 911 response >for a week, and you have just enough time to get to know them before AMR >rotates back on. > >Port Arthur, unfortunately, is making absolutely no effort to administer or >ensure a quality EMS system for the City. There are no quality audits of the >providers (which, by the way, is hard enough to do with one agency....can't >imagine trying to do that with two!), response time compliance is measured via > " call-in " and self-reporting only with no external validation (I believe the >response time requirements are based upon average too, instead of fractile >compliance), and the only " RFP " requirement is the number of vehicles you are >able to put in the city (most of which, if you're doing your core business >right, will be committed to transfers at any given time). > >Really a pity for the citizens there. Unfortunately, they do not know any >better. That's probably our fault, collectively; they think as long as there >are ambulances in the City, it must be OK. All ambulances are the same after >all, right? From Port Arthur's viewpoint, they are getting ambulance service >for free (actually, they're making $50,000 per service on the deal!), and the >ambulances and people are " certified by the state " so it must be OK! > >A good example of exactly how *not* to do EMS! > > >The opinions stated here are my own, an in now way, shape, form, or fashion >represent those of my job or employer! > > >EMS Manager >City of Beaumont Public Health > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.