IAFF Endorses Call for Improved EMS

June 15, 2006 – The IAFF has reviewed the Institute of Medicine’s report regarding emergency medical services and supports its call for stronger and improved EMS systems in local U.S. communities.

“More than 90 percent of career fire departments in the United States provide first responder emergency medical services, and more than half provide advanced EMS care,” says IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “The IAFF supports and promotes ef¬fective emergency medical services as essential to every community. However, on a daily basis, resources are depleted due to ever-increasing call volume – particularly in metropolitan centers – limiting the ability of fire fighters and paramedics to respond.”

The IAFF maintains that pre-hospital EMS resources must be adequately funded at the local, state and federal level to bolster day-to-day operations and disaster preparedness.

The Institute of Medicine report also recommends that data collection and EMS system performance measures become standardized. “Quality data and appropriate performance metrics are essential to system assessment and continued improvement of EMS system operations,” says President Schaitberger. The IAFF, in partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, has identified and defined numerous EMS system performance indicators for which performance metrics were developed.

As the Institute of Medicine report points out, the nation’s EMS system is often considered a safety net for uncompensated care. This contributes to the challenges associated with emergency department closures and EMS transport unit diversion from local emergency departments because of overcrowding. The uninsured and underinsured population in the United States is unlikely to improve in the short term, therefore, this safety net must adapt in order to continue to care for the sick and injured, regardless of the availability of hospital beds. The IAFF believes that pre-hospital providers need to be trained to deliver higher levels of care outside of medical facilities so that treat-and-release programs can be implemented and patient loads at emergency departments lowered. In addition, EMS leaders, medical directors and policy makers must use strong scientific evidence-based decision making for medical treatment protocols implemented in the field.

Click here for a fact sheet from the Institute of Medicine report. The entire report can be downloaded at www.nationalacademies.org. For more information, visit www.iom.edu/emergencycare.