Opinion: LV Fire defends ambulance staffing
By Kileigh Labrado
It has been and will remain the mission of the Lake Valley Fire Protection District to provide the highest level of public safety services for our community, its people, and the environment. As our motto states, it is “Because We Care”.
Driven by these guiding principles, in 2001 the LVFPD entered into a partnership with the city of South Lake Tahoe to provide fire based ambulance transportation and advanced life support paramedic services throughout the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. For over 14 years the fire district has had the privilege to provide first class fire based emergency medical services (EMS) to our constituents under contracts with the county of El Dorado. LVFPD remains dedicated to providing the highest level of public safety to the community we proudly serve.
The partnership between the Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the city of South Lake Tahoe formed the Cal-Tahoe JPA which currently has a contract with the county of El Dorado to provide paramedic ambulance services to the South Shore until Aug. 31, 2019, with the potential to extend the contract until Aug. 31, 2021. The JPA partnership allowed ambulances to be staffed with firefighter/paramedics in the South Shore, which increased the level of public safety by increasing the number of firefighters on duty every day. Firefighter/paramedics are available for all types of incidents including fires, rescues, and vehicle accidents as well as medical aids.
On Dec. 14, 2015, the city of South Lake Tahoe began staffing the two JPA ambulances they are responsible for
staffing with non-firefighters. While non-firefighting paramedics and emergency medical technicians are qualified to run medical aid calls, they are not all risk personnel and cannot perform the same duties of a firefighter, such as fighting fires, entering burning buildings, performing technical rescues, or vehicle extrication.
There have been ongoing discussion and negotiations between the city and LVFPD regarding LVFPD taking over staffing of all of the ambulances in the South Shore to keep a fire based system intact. Unfortunately there has been no agreement reached to date. The LVFPD is committed to working with the city and the county to find an
equitable solution that is in the best interest of the community and maintains the increased level of public safety.
Lake Valley Fire Protection District strongly believes that a fire based emergency medical and ambulance transport service for the South Shore provides our constituents with a proper level of public safety. The fire district believes that the ambulance transport services agreement enhances our ability to maintain an adequate work force that is needed to adequately fulfill our mission and commitment to provide a high level of public safety to the community we proudly serve. Public safety and fiscal responsibility are of the utmost importance to the fire district. It is the intention of the LVFPD to continue to operate fire based emergency medical and ambulance transport services for our constituents.
Kileigh Labrado is the public information officer for Lake Valley Fire Protection District.
I think Lake Valley Fire District is perhaps guilty of building an organizational empire that is to big and too expensive for the area and population it serves.
This article does not tell the story in facts, only in beliefs and thoughts.
It would serve the public interest better if there were some facts to back up the claim that all ambulance personnel need to also be fully trained firefighters. Clearly this is the highest cost option. (Meaning highest salaries, meaning huge retirement payouts at early ages.)
Why won’t the City or Lake valley show a statistical study of the last few years of emergency calls, analyzing how many actually needed a Fire Truck and firemen to serve the public interest better?
I fear that Lake Valley want doesn’t want this information out there as it probably does not support their plan. If it did support their plan, they (assuming they are smart) would have already produced it. This would be the proverbial smoking gun if it proved their point
This kind of information would serve far better than the rhetoric we get now that basically seems self serving and aimed primarily at a money grab.
The last multi million dollar, unsuccessful bond proposal clearly showed the voters had no appetite for even more expensive fire departments.
If recall part of this borrowing was to go to salaries thereby keeping a layoff from happening.
I personally feel that the organization of all our local fire districts could use a shake-up and have a few less chiefs and a few more plain firefighters.
The fire departments seem to have have mimicked banks in that way….a lot of the employees in each are carrying around some “Chief of”, or “VP of” title exaltation.
Well Keliegh, Gerald took the questions right out of my mouth. Let’s have a list of the last 10 times that an ambulance was called, showed-up and needed firefighter staffing to complete the call. This is as much nonsense as the notion that a fire truck MUST go on all ambulance calls. Senseless. Good luck selling this balony to the public.
Seems to me that since the changing of the chiefs at Lake Valley things have spiraled downhill big time. They do provide a quality service we cannot deny that. At some point in time though there has to be accountability to the tax payer when it comes to benefit for how they operate. It is a great thing that the guys can get off the ambulance and help with the fire operation. without that your going to have a 2 man crew trying to fight a fire or cut you out of your car. Two men cant do that job. I truly feel the way the chief carries himself you end up with a situation of not what your saying but how you say it. I feel blessed that the guys who work for lake valley will be there to help me truly a quality bunch of guys there. Wish I could put the chief in that same group but I don’t. Sure miss Chief Michaels
Thank you Lake Valley for providing the community with the highest level of ems. Having the 2 on medic unit available to perform the same firefighting duties if the need arises is comforting.
Addressing Gerald and Izee;
The minimum number of firefighters needed on a first alarm residential stucture fire is about 15 to do the job safely and effectively. With the past staffing in our area (the city and county) of 2 firefighters per engine and two firefighter/ paramedics per ambulance means the two engines in lake valley, the three in the city, two medic units and a batallion chief could respond and be put to work.
Without firefighter medics, you would need those engines, plus an additional two engines from another agency(s). All the while there will will still be the medic units on scene, but now they can’t provide any assistance on the fire side.
Mind you behind the scenes of both scenarios there will be engines from other agencies traveling into the city and lake valley to backfill the fire stations… in non fire based EMS that means two more engines from elsewhere, meaning longer travel time for those additional two engines to arrive and provide adequate coverage of the city and district.
The reason engines and medics arrive to calls is manpower. Sometimes not everyone is needed, but more often than not they are, and sometime more… with fire based EMS you get 4 people who can perform anything and everything. With non fire based, you may get 2 or 3 who can do everything, and 2 that can only perform the medical side.
Not every call is a fire, nor is every call a medical aide. I’m not willing to play Russian roulette. I’d rather have the best staffing model all the time, and I thank Lake valley for continuing to provide that.
Thank you Kileigh for a well written piece without the heresay, rumors, and smoke and mirrors of the others.
End the duplicity and overlapping, and increase efficiency. No need for two separate chiefs and other redundant overhead. Merge SLTFD and LVFPD.
One is a city provided service and one is for the county residents. They need to be separate as per what we voted for when the city was incorporated in 1965. If we merge those two departments then we might as well merge police and road maintenance as well.
If we did that then we would not even need to be a city anymore, Then we might get the added benefit of some better roads as well.
Good time to get rid of Lake Valleys Fire Chief. He has been a failure from the start.
His own employees can’t stand the guy. The Lake Valley Board blew a big chance to fire him after the 100% vote of no confidence which was totally hushed by the Board. Lake Valley has lost its credibility in the community as far as I’m concerned. Chief Harris would do us a huge favor if he stepped down and moved on. Lake Valley should start shopping for a new chief. It wouldn’t be hard to find someone better.
Bartonbaby1 summed it up perfectly. Thank You.