FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2015
Contact: Jennifer Kaulius
802.324.2505
Mayor Miro Weinberger and BFD Chief Seth Lasker Announce Paramedicine Program
Program, In Concert with UVM Medical Center, To Provide Better Medical Care to Burlingtonians
Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger, joined by Burlington Fire Chief Seth Lasker, members of the Burlington Fire Department, and members from the University of Vermont Medical Center, today announced a paramedicine program for the Fire Department and the City of Burlington. The goal of the paramedicine program is to send a paramedic to every medical call in the City in an effort to provide the best pre-hospital medical care and pain management in transport to the UVM Medical Center. A City of Burlington paramedicine program sends a strong message to the citizens of Burlington – that during an acute medical or traumatic emergency, they will have available to them, in the critical transport time to the hospital, a pre-hospital professional of the highest quality and most exhaustive training.
“Adding paramedics to our teams of first responders will reduce pain and suffering and ensure that Burlingtonians get the best possible medical care during stressful and traumatic emergencies,” said Mayor Weinberger. “I am thankful that the UVM Medical Center and Chief Lasker have worked long and hard to add paramedicine capacity to the services provided by the respected, highly-effective Burlington Fire Department.”
“Thank you to Mayor Weinberger, the members of the union, our Fire Commissioners, and all of the staff here at the Burlington Fire Department for your help in this important project. We are extremely proud and gratified to have the privilege to serve this community, and I am pleased to announce this new paramedic service in my final days as Fire Chief,” said Chief Lasker.
A paramedic is the most highly trained pre-hospital provider, with 1,600 hours of training (compared with 300 hours of training for an advanced EMT and 120 hours for a basic EMT). As a result of this breadth and depth of training, a paramedic is able to make more accurate determinations about a patient’s illness or injury, interface more effectively with hospital-based medical direction about conditions on scene, and act or intervene prior to arrival to the hospital. As a result of greater medical training, the paramedic professional is better trained to interpret and diagnose illness and injury, and to decide appropriately when, and if, a circumstance dictates more advanced or aggressive care. Paramedics can relieve painful and uncomfortable situations like difficulty breathing and chest pain, and have the ability to administer fluids, medications, and potentially life-saving treatments for specific ailments, such as cardiac and respiratory problems, fractures, seizures, and other medical emergencies.
BFD has a long history of providing excellent pre-hospital emergency medical care to Burlingtonians. Health care systems are continually evolving, and the State of Vermont’s new protocols include life-saving, time-sensitive interventions that can only be offered by pre-hospital personnel licensed to practice paramedicine. In order for BFD to continue to meet the emergency medical needs and expectations of our community, it is necessary to implement new paramedicine services. The effort to develop a paramedicine program was begun in 2008 by a number of Vermont ambulance District 3 services – the State of Vermont is divided into 13 ambulance districts, and District 3 encompasses Chittenden County. The City’s paramedicine program is in direct partnership with the UVM Medical Center, from whom the BFD receives education, support, and oversight.
The BFD paramedicine program will be presented to the City Council at its upcoming October 26, 2015 meeting, and the program will begin in mid-November. The goal of the paramedicine program is, within current staffing levels, to have nine paramedics – three per BFD shift. One paramedic would be posted to each of the City’s two ambulances, and the remaining paramedic would staff one of the BFD engine companies (designated by call volume and need). The paramedicine program will incrementally reach the goal of nine total paramedics. The annualized cost of the paramedicine program as implemented in FY16 will be no more than $15,000, based on a plan that includes using current firefighters with paramedic training. Costs in future years may rise modestly, depending on the City’s training needs. In FY17 and beyond, the total cost of the program for nine paramedics will be $28,800 ($3,200 per paramedic, per year).
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