Saturday, September 05, 2009
Firefighters Treat Simulated Heart Attack (photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
When people don’t have health insurance, they turn not only to emergency rooms for medical care, but to their local firefighters. Increasingly, firemen are handling medical emergency calls by those who have no means to see a doctor. Instead of rushing to battle a burning building, firefighters are serving as de facto primary care providers treating heart attacks, diabetic sores, epileptic seizures and breathing problems.
“I joined the force to battle blazes, not to be an emergency room doctor,” J.R. Muyleart, a member of Engine Company 10, told The New York Times. About 80% of the calls handled by Muyleart’s unit are medical emergencies because of its proximity to one of the city’s poorest areas.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 1980 U.S. fire departments responded to about 3 million fire calls and about 5 million medical calls. By 2008, the ratio of the two categories had changed dramatically. Last year, thanks to a steady improvement in consumer protection rules, there were only 1.5 million fire calls, but the number of medical calls had skyrocketed to 15.8 million.
While total emergency calls nationwide have gone up by 1.2 million since last year, fire departments have lost about 6,000 firefighters because of budget cuts, making the situation even tougher for those left on the job. However, some firefighters are grateful for the increased scope of their responsibilities because if their jobs were reduced to only fighting fires, job cuts would be even greater.
-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky
Firefighters Become Medics to the Poor (by Ian Urbina, New York Times)
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