Long Beach Fire Chief DuRee Says New Paramedic Response System (Test Began July 10) Running Seamlessly With No Issues...And On Average Citywide Is Producing Faster Paramedic Responses Than Previously
(July 18, 2014) -- Long Beach Fire Chief Mike DuRee says the test of a new paramedic response system that he designed in response to City Council budget cuts and began implementing on July 10, is "running seamlessly" with no issues whatsoever...and across the board citywide is providing a paramedic to the scene of emergencies on an average of 90 seconds faster than before.
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In brief remarks at the July 17 meeting of 3rd district neighborhood groups at the LB Yacht Club held by newly elected Councilwoman Suzie Price (monthly events begun by predecessor Councilman Gary DeLong), Chief DuRee spoke extemporaneously and briefly and told the audience:
[The changed paramedic system has] been in place a week. We've had no issues whatsoever. The system is running seamlessly and across the board citywide, we're getting a paramedic to the scene of an emergency on an average over a minute and a half faster than we were before. [applause]
So, it's one week worth of data, folks...some laughter) We anticipate this trend continuing. We're consistently refining the program., It's only going to get better.
I just wanted you to know that rest assured, the Long Beach Fire Department is in good hands. We're still responding to calls. It's not a degradation of service in any way and it's moving just fine.
Fire Chief Mike DuRee developed the changed paramedic system ("Rapid Medic Deployment" or RMD) in response to budget cuts approved by a City Council majority. The management-favored system is less costly by no longer providing two paramedics arriving on a single responding unit, instead providing two paramedics arriving on separate vehicles with (for the first time) one firefighter trained in paramedic services guaranteed on every fire engine. The RMD system increases the number of paramedic ambulances with advanced life support capabilities from 8 to 11 but reduces ambulances from 13 to 11 and reduce ambulance staffing from two paramedics to one paramedic + one ambulance operator Emergency Medical Technician.
A major controversy ensued over deployment of the new system. The Long Beach Firefighters Ass'n strongly opposed the new system, saying it would worsen patient care and create unintended consequences including operational difficulties. Chief DuRee acknowledged the system is less costly but said it is a re-examination of an old L.A. Countywide model that hasn't been seriously re-examined for years and will be an improvement on its merits.
The new system is being tested for up to two years on terms allowed by the L.A. County Emergency Medical Services Agency.
