SUSAN A. PINSON: Change to Lee County EMS schedule would be detrimental

Currently, Lee County Public Safety employs 36 full-time paramedics who work 24 hours on with 72 hours off. Of the 36, 21 are also employed full time as paramedics elsewhere, so in reality they work 48 hours on and have 48 hours off to be able to provide for their families. Lee County Board of Commissioners has spent money to train most of the paramedics as firefighters and bought them turnout gear, which cost the county thousands of dollars per paramedic.

Lee County Board of Commissioners is proposing to change the work schedule for paramedics to 24 hours on followed by 48 hours off. The EMS service and fire department will consolidate under one budget. The county commissioners are also proposing to train all the non-paramedic firefighters as emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

While the purpose of the county’s proposal is to save money, the effects will be far reaching for the employees, residents and visitors to the area. When the 21 paramedics with dual employment are faced with the new schedule, they will have to decide between their two jobs. The choice would be obvious. To stay with Lee County Public Safety would mean loss of all seniority to those in the fire department. It would also make it impossible to continue full-time employment at their other current jobs.

When faced with losing seniority and half of their annual income, the majority of Lee County’s paramedics will be forced to leave Lee County. Their decision will have nothing to do with their sense of loyalty to Lee County, but rather out of a sense of responsibility to their families. The remaining 15 paramedics may also choose to seek other employment due to loss of seniority and schedule changes.

When the majority of Lee County’s paramedics leave the system, public safety will be greatly compromised. While EMTs play a role in emergency medical service, there is a significant difference between the education, discipline and skill level of an EMT and a paramedic, especially when the need is dire. Among other procedures, a paramedic can give live-saving drugs, perform lifesaving intubation and defibrillate (shock) your heart back into a life-sustaining rhythm, all of which an EMT cannot do. In actuality, the skill level and expertise of the Lee County paramedics has been improved due their dual employment and increase in exposure to emergencies, and they cannot be easily replaced.

While people often adopt the attitude of “that would never happen to me,” the definition of an emergency is a serious, unexpected and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action. While the Lee County Board of Commissioners is trying to save money, sometimes the bottom line dollar-wise is not the best bottom line to consider. Is there no other way to save money than cutting EMS when Lee County taxes were just raised to help fund public safety? The true bottom line is who do you want to show up to your mother’s heart attack, your father’s stroke or your child’s car wreck?

Please contact your county commissioners and remember their vote on the issue when you vote. Please let your voice be heard at the next Lee County Board of Commissioners meeting, which is Tuesday. The Lee County Commission phone number is (229) 759-6000. Email contacts are District 1, Dennis Roland, [email protected]; District 2, Luke Singletary, [email protected]; District 3, Billy Mathis, [email protected]; District 4, Rick Muggridge, [email protected]; District 5, Greg Frich, [email protected].

Your support of this important issue is greatly appreciated.

Susan A. Pinson of Lee County is a registered nurse.