A paycheck would make emergency response healthier

Spectrum, by Tim McKeown

After reading the article on the Mat-Su Borough emergency service, "On call," on Aug. 17,, I felt moved to answer. If the borough had seen fit to pay the medics they thoroughly trained all these years, the rate of leaving might not be so high. As it is, those trained medics had to leave to get jobs to support themselves and/or their families. As volunteer medics, we are paid less to start than Burger King or Wal-Mart employees, in spite of being trained to save your life. The starting wage for the new Big Lake secretary is $13.42. A 20-year EMT III is not paid that much. EMT III's usually top out about $13 per hour. Now the borough has taken away credit for special classes we take and subsequently cut our pay. There's something wrong with this picture.

Thousands of hours go into our training. EMT I's are fully trained to be the backbone of the service, including being able to give certain lifesaving medications. EMT II's carry the burden of being trained in IV therapy and giving higher level medications. EMT III's are trained in cardiac intervention. Of all the runs transported into Valley Hospital over a two-year period, 3 percent were deemed to need level III care. Of that 3 percent, .03 percent (might) have benefited from paramedic skills. Are we to have roving MASH units patrolling the streets? At what cost to the taxpayer?

Mr. Brodigan's illusion about our medics not being up to snuff on training and abilities might be disputed by Sen. Scott Ogan, whose life was saved by mere medics. Or the man last Saturday whose life was spared when he was stung numerous times by bees and not breathing. He was given that life-saving injection by an EMT I, IVs were administered by an EMT II and an EMT III, and his cardiac status was monitored all the way to the hospital by another EMT III. I'm sure there are many others who do not feel they received "substandard" care at the hands of borough medics. We work as a team, not independent heroes.

The main focus of the "new" administration has been totally focused on the core area, i.e. Wasilla, Palmer, Big Lake and Meadow Lakes. There has been absolutely no attention paid to outlying areas and the same old ills still exist and the "Golden Hour" is a joke, according to certain paramedics in the borough.

The paramedics who are pushing to become part of the borough team are lobbying for $50,000 per year starting wages with full benefit packages. Your taxes will be increased accordingly to pay the bill. Anchorage is slowly going back to EMTs because the municipality has finally realized it can no longer afford those high wages, especially when EMTs are just as well qualified for 97 percent of the calls. When that 3 percent of the critical calls come in, even us lowly EMTs have enough sense to page for higher level care immediately. That is supposed to be Medic One's sole purpose for existence.

Mr. Duffy has so far turned down an employee benefits package of any kind for the medics. He also turned down a small incentive property tax cut for the medics that was approved by the state. It has always been confusing whether we're employees or volunteers. It all depends on the borough's whim. There is no recognition for longevity or much else. Heroics in cardiac care rates a special mention occasionally.

The new paramedic program in Anchorage is very good but has one serious drawback. There are not enough high volume emergency needs to warrant a complete program in that the paramedic must go "outside" to high volume areas such as Seattle, Los Angeles or Chicago. Alaska simply has not come of age yet to be manned by highly trained and paid paramedics around-the-clock. Anchorage discovered that the hard way.

There are (and have been) many medics in the Mat-Su Borough who made the mistake of disagreeing with some of the strong-arm tactics of the EMS in the Mat-Su Borough. Most of them have been harassed and herded out of the service. Others are still there but learned the hard way to offer no criticism or input because they know they will be harassed some more. We like what we do or we would not be here through both the good and bad times. My wife was told she had good ideas but was advised to have someone "in favor" put forth those ideas or they would get no attention, no matter how good they were. Apparently, only those who have good ideas in the core area count.

At this time, LifeGuard is called for almost all critical patients in the Mat-Su Borough and has been known to beat the ambulance to the patient, especially in the outlying areas. The patient is then flown to a major trauma/medical center in Anchorage in the care of trained emergency flight nurses/EMT III's. (Not paramedics.)

Paramedics are an expensive item the borough cannot afford and there is no trauma center in the borough to transport the patient to. Maybe in another 10 years the borough will grow enough to support the service. Maybe not.

We were promised "good things" when the administration turned over. We're still waiting.

Tim McKeown is a Willow resident.