By Teresa Herriman, The Courier-Herald
At 9 a.m. March 8, East Pierce Fire & Rescue began providing ambulance service to the tri-district region.
Over the next two months, firefighters and paramedics of District 12, 20 and 22 will ramp up the service, eventually becoming the primary provider of patient transport.
The change is designed to provide continuity of care, quicker response times, more dependable service and, most importantly for some, decrease the cost of calling an ambulance.
Assistant Chief of Emergency Medical Services Russ McCallion anticipates four to five transports a day will be typical. The first day of service, five patients were taken to area hospitals.
The immediate advantage, he said, is continuity of patient care. Rather than having a firefighter or paramedic take a call, assess and assist a patient, then turn care over to the ambulance team, the responding East Pierce crew will accompany the patient to the hospital, continuing to provide treatment and providing a link with the attending physicians. That link helps the East Pierce staff become better at their craft, McCallion added.
The proximity of the fire stations will significantly improve response times, the chief said. And as a service owned and operated by tri-district residents, there is no concern, as with a private company, that the service will be discontinued or moved.
Best of all, McCallion said, there will be no out-of-pocket expenses for residents of the Pierce County tri-district. EPF&R will bill patients' private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. A federal law allows a tax-supported fire district to waive the co-pay.
Cost for private ambulance transportation can run from $800 to $1,200. Before Monday, ambulance service was solely provided by AMR, a private medical transportation company owned by Laidlaw, the school bus people.
"There have been cases where patients have refused an ambulance because of the bill," McCallion said. The new service should allow the patient to focus on the situation at hand rather than worry about a future ambulance bill.
Most patients are transported to Good Samaritan, Enumclaw or Auburn. However, special care patients, such as children, those with burns or patients needing a trauma unit, are taken to specialty hospitals.
"We will take a patient to the hospital of their choice, if it's open," McCallion said. He explained that hospitals have reduced staff to help cut costs resulting in what is known as a "diversion" if they become overburdened. If that happens, walk-up patients are treated, but ambulances are redirected to other hospitals, sometimes at the detriment to the patient. As of Jan. 1, 2005, diversions will no longer be allowed.
Patients with questions regarding their ambulance bill can contact McCallion or Fire Chief Dan Packer at 253-863-1800.
Until the firefighters and paramedics are fully-trained, the EPF&R units will only be able to provide transport to one patient at a time. If a second or third call comes in, dispatch will call the private ambulance service to assist. Unfortunately, those patients transported by the private service will be charged by that service, not EPF&R.
Other fire departments in Pierce County already offer ambulance service, including Central Pierce, Graham, Roy and Gig Harbor. It is a growing trend, McCallion said. As fire departments grow larger they can begin to provide the service.
The tri-district already has the five ambulances it needs to start the program, since most stations are equipped with a fire engine and ambulance, each with full emergency medical aid gear.
In preparation for the transport program, firefighters and paramedics have been taking part in extra training specifically for transporting patients; volunteer firefighters are also receiving the training and gurneys, defibrillators and other equipment have been purchased.
"Moving patients can cause significant injuries to firefighters," McCallion said. Modern technology, such as track-stair chairs, will be used to help avoid injuries to firefighters and paramedics who move patients down stairs.
Although EPF&R fronted the money for the new service, McCallion said projected revenues from billing insurance companies will eventually cover the expenses.
The residents of the tri-district will get a further bonus - the additional firefighters and paramedics hired will be available to provide extra staff for other duties. Each firefighter is a "jack-of-all-trades" McCallion said.
"We are fortunate to have a nice working relationship with AMR," McCallion said. "We just think we are now in a position to provide a faster, less expensive service here."
Teresa Herriman can be reached at therriman@courierherald.com
