Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 20, 1993 TAG: 9312200319
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY BELL STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Once there was a waiting list for people hoping to join Vinton's volunteer rescue squad.
Now, the town's street sweeper sometimes leaves his post to drive an ambulance. And the animal control officer is a trained Emergency Medical Technician, answering calls when volunteers are scarce.
Getting and keeping emergency services volunteers has become a nationwide problem. And Vinton is an example of what happens when volunteerism declines.
With only half the volunteers it needs, Vinton's Emergency Medical Service depends on town staff members to leave their other duties to answer daylight calls.
"It's not a long-term solution," says Town Manager Clay Goodman. "But it's the best we can do right now. We're grateful that these employees are willing to help."
The situation has prompted Vinton Town Council to protest proposed state and federal regulations requiring more training for emergency services volunteers by 1995.
"We don't want to endanger anyone's life. But we hope as those additional mandates come up the state will look at the training requirements and devise a way to help localities meet them," Goodman said.
"I think the restrictions are there for quality control. But the problem is that so much time is required to get and maintain the training, it scares people off."
In 10 years the role of the volunteer EMS has changed from "scoop and run" to "emergency room on wheels," said Mark Whiting, public relations officer for the Virginia Department of Health's Office of Emergency Services.
Virginia's requirements reflect the need for medically trained volunteers. Simply to drive an ambulance in Virginia requires 110 hours of training. Paramedics need more than 400 hours.
Whiting said training ensures that volunteers are able to stabilize and provide primary care for patients before their arrival at the hospital, especially in rural areas.
"I remember when a call would come in and everyone would run to their trucks and take off," Vinton Town Council member Joe Bush recalls.
"Now, it's hit-or-miss whether any volunteers will be available to answer calls. People have other responsibilities, their employers don't let them off."
Vinton objects to the state's raising training requirements without providing funds to help localities comply.
In a Nov. 17 letter to the Virginia Municipal League, Mayor Charles Hill wrote:
"The higher training requirements are having a chilling effect on membership retention and recruitment. Unless this matter is quickly addressed, the continuing existence of volunteer emergency management services is threatened. Most communities, including Vinton, do not have the resources to employ full-time staff."
But state Sen. Clarence Holland, D-Virginia Beach, doesn't believe this will happen.
"To my knowledge, there is no money on the horizon," says Holland, who led a statewide EMS task force several years ago.
Virginia Beach remains the exception to the rule, with abundant volunteers waiting on lists to join one of the city's 11 squads. Holland said competition and a full-time paid recruiter helps keep volunteerism alive in a city of more than 400,000 people. Because of the volume of calls received there, Holland pointed out, there is savings to taxpayers.
A 1991 study of patient billing data revealed that Roanoke Valley volunteers provided $26 million in uncompensated care, according to Garry Lautenschlager, director of the Western Virginia EMS Council.
"I think local governments are beginning to accept more responsibility for EMS services," Lautenschlager said. As Salem's EMS chief, he is working with Salem City Council on a task force looking at issues facing EMS.
"I think we will see volunteer squads becoming less independent," he said. Lautenschlager feels local governments will become more involved as volunteerism, and possibly fund raising, decline.
While the Salem squad once enjoyed abundant numbers of volunteers, it, too, has experienced some decline and is looking at better ways to entice and retain members.
Lautenschlager said a decrease in volunteerism in general, and not training requirements, has caused recruitment problems. He attributes the drop in volunteers to:
Employers no longer willing to allow people to leave work for volunteer efforts.
Burnout, because fewer people are doing more work.
The economy - people working more than one job to stay afloat.
Fear of AIDS and other contagious diseases.
Risk of liability.
Fear of violence against EMS workers.
Like Lautenschlager, Whiting feels Vinton is making too much of the proposed additional regulations.
"It is easy to point to Richmond, but I think these volunteer squads need to look internally for solutions," he said.
The state Department of Emergency Services supports volunteer squads in several ways, including making training materials available to rural areas via satellite, holding workshops, providing recruitment and retention counseling, and providing grant money.
To supplement the funds volunteer squads raise, Virginia earmarks $2 of each motor vehicle registration for EMS through a program called Two for Life.
This year Roanoke County received $35,657 from the fund, Whiting said. The money was divided equally among the county's eight squads and the Vinton squad.
To lure and keep volunteers, the county also offers retirement benefits for volunteers of 10 years or more, and all volunteers in good standing receive workers compensation benefits. About 170 volunteers now are eligible for retirement benefits, say county officials.
Unlike Vinton's, some rescue squads have a core staff of paid personnel, some shared with fire departments, to supplement volunteer efforts.
Council member Bush fears hiring paid EMS personnel in Vinton would require raising taxes. The town has established a pay scale of $17,384 to $24,388 for each EMS employee, plus benefits.
"Vinton council will leave no stone unturned to find a solution to this problem," Bush said.
"It is difficult to find volunteers for any organization. We are asking for hundreds of hours of training, then on-call duty in work that can be dangerous," he said.
Bush said training requirements do not reflect a volunteer effort but appear to be aimed at a paid-staff scenario.
"The volunteer system is in jeopardy through no fault of our own. Extra training is a burden that comes without funding," he said.
\ TRAINING REQUIREMENTS\ FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE\ \ EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN (EMT): 110 hours\ \ SHOCK TRAUMA TECHNICIAN: 197 hours\ \ CARDIAC TECHNICIAN: 150 hours\ \ PARAMEDIC: 410 hours
\ EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES STAFFING\ FOR ROANOKE VALLEY LOCALITIES\ \ ROANOKE: Paid core staff started in 1985. Twenty-five full-time and 25 part-time paid EMS workers at various levels of training. Volunteers: 100\ \ ROANOKE COUNTY: Paid core staff started in 1986. Fifteen people, who also share fire duties. Volunteers: 215 to 220, with 35 to 40 being screened for eligibility as result of recent recruitment drive.\ \ SALEM: No paid core staff. Fire Department serves as first responder for daylight calls. Volunteers: 65. Recruitment drive planned. Task force with City Council working on recruitment and retention.\ \ VINTON: No paid core staff but weekday assistance from paid fire/rescue staff and other town staff with EMS training. Volunteers: 20, with about five in training as a result of recent recruitment drive.
C4 EMS FACTOID TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
931220 EMS STORY #6186 TOPIC FOR MONDAY KEYWORD DESK AUTHOR:COUNTRYMAN12/20/93 wayne \ C4 EMS FACTOID TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE EMERGENCY
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