Respect EMS professionals who save lives, increase staffing and resources

With just a moment’s notice, they can save a life. It is an invaluable skill set, and it’s why we take the time this week to honor the professionals who work in emergency medical services.

The paramedics and emergency medical technicians who arrive quickly and act fast during a crisis are the health care system’s first responders, and they deserve our gratitude and respect — especially during National EMS Week.

“We do what both doctors and nurses do in the emergency room,” said Jocelyn Paulson, a paramedic in Santa Clara County, California, and executive director of United EMS Workers/AFSCME Local 4911. “And sometimes we do it while going 70 mph down the road.”

AFSCME thanks those who spend their shifts on constant high alert for the next emergency situation where their actions could mean the difference between life or death.

“During EMS Week, we honor the highly skilled AFSCME members in EMS who answer the call to provide lifesaving care during some of the most difficult moments in people’s lives. Whether responding to an accident or a medical emergency, dispatching help when we need it most, or transporting a patient during a natural disaster, EMS workers bring professionalism and courage to countless emergencies every day. But they do so amid a national staffing crisis in emergency medical services,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders.

“In too many communities, response times are increasing because of staffing shortages. Those shortages will only worsen since Congress cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid — funding that more than 90% of EMS agencies rely on to maintain critical services,” Saunders said. “From the moment an EMS worker is dispatched, every second counts. When someone calls 911, any delay in receiving care puts their health — and their life — at risk. EMS workers deserve fully funded resources, pay parity with other first responders, mental health support to combat burnout, and workforce investments to recruit and retain the next generation of emergency responders. Every community relies on the EMS professionals who show up in moments of crisis — and we will continue organizing to ensure they have the equipment, staffing, training and support they need.”

Practicing emergency medicine everywhere except in a hospital makes for an unpredictable workplace and high-stress situations. They have to be resourceful and adaptable in dealing with unusual situations, accidents, emergencies and all kinds of calamities.

“I like to say we’re the MacGyvers of the medicine world,” said Paulson, a paramedic for 25 years. “No matter how much we train, the world will still throw something at you that you haven’t seen yet.”

The EMS profession is facing some serious challenges.

Cuts to Medicaid and rising costs of health insurance are squeezing the health care system from every angle, including who is on the ambulance when you call 911, how long it takes to get to the hospital, and how crowded the emergency room is when you get there.

Paulson said staffing shortages and low wages cause high turnover among EMS workers and make it harder for the profession to attract people who can afford to make it a career.

Some jurisdictions have resorted to mandatory overtime shifts to maintain services.

“It wears you out to do 12-hour shifts four or five times a week,” Paulson said. “That’s wear and tear on people’s careers and less time with family.”

So when EMS workers organize, it’s no surprise that scheduling is a major issue in contract negotiations and labor-management discussions, as AFSCME members demand more predictable schedules and higher wages.

For example, AFSCME members have benefited from improvements in working conditions, safeguards against excessive heat and a limit to mandatory overtime.

“We need good working ambulances, safety vests and safety gear in order to do our jobs properly,” Paulson said. “Part of what our union is striving for is to have a collaborative effort, so everybody is safe.”

EMS employees serve their communities in times of crisis, and AFSCME is reaffirming our commitment to making sure they have the staffing, resources and respect they need to continue saving lives every day.