Part-time Honolulu's Emergency Medical Services Department may be hiring a dozen part-time paramedics this fall to help alleviate a staff shortage.
EMS staff may
help shortage
But planned federal life-support
units may draw paramedics
away from the cityBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comThe department lost up to 20 city paramedics last year, six of whom left to join the federal Fire Department's Advance Life Support Unit at Pearl Harbor.
"They (federal paramedics) work 13 days a month with the rest of the month off, they make twice as much, they get extra pay from the federal government to live in Hawaii," said Director Salvatore S. Lanzilotti. "Fortunately, many want to return. We've heard from many paramedics who have left that they miss running 911 emergency calls.
"By opening up more part-time positions, we're opening the door for those who have left to come back. Some have already said they would love to come back."
But the news comes as even more city paramedics could once again be lost to the federal government, which is considering starting up two more advance life-support units at Kaneohe Marine Base and Schofield Barracks by sometime next year.
"We don't want to take any more paramedics from the system than we need to, but if we get the go-ahead, we may have to," said Dennis Yurong, chief of the federal Advance Life Support Unit. "Training doesn't happen overnight."
Lanzilotti said: "They're raiding the city, and there are other options to consider before doing that. Much time and money are invested in those paramedics. We paid for their education."
Currently, basic life-support ambulance services are available at both military bases. However, Yurong said any emergency more complicated than splinting a broken leg means the military must call city EMS for help.
IF THE TWO FEDERAL Advance Life Support units become a reality, Yurong said he is looking at a team of four paramedics and two emergency medical technicians to be stationed at each base.
"Right now, Wahiawa's EMS units will run to Wheeler and Schofield on a daily basis," Yurong said. "One to three times a day to back up existing life support -- that's a lot. This way, we keep the resource in the community. Look at Pearl Harbor's unit; now city and county units don't have to run to Pearl Harbor anymore.
"It's a win-win situation for everybody."
Yurong also pointed out that the EMS administration should be more concerned about the 19 to 20 paramedics who left the city last year and not just the six who came to the federal Fire Department.
"That's not a normal attrition rate," he said. "I don't want to be critical of the city, but if you want to stem the flow, you have to know what the issues are."
Last month, the Star-Bulletin reported that some EMS personnel said they were feeling burned out because the paramedic shortage forced them to work too many back-to-back shifts. Staffing records showed that EMS dispatchers, emergency medical technicians and paramedics were working an average of 200 overtime hours a day in the month of June.
While some EMS supervisors and union officials said the part-time situation could solve a lot of staffing problems, it could also cause a backlash among paramedics who like having a lot of overtime and are afraid part-timers will take hours away from them.
"It's a fine line, but people need to look at the big picture," said paramedic and union steward Vince Park. "People can't have their cake and eat it, too."
In response to questions about a possible morale problem, Lanzilotti said attitudes of personnel ranged between two extremes. On one end, he said, were staffers who are "never happy about anything," while on the other end were those who were "happy as clams."
Above all, Lanzilotti stresses that at no time has the shortage of paramedics affected service to the public. At the same time, however, he knows something must be done to retain more paramedics.
"Our people save lives on a daily basis, and they should be compensated accordingly," he said. "They love the work but that's not enough sometimes. If we just paid them more, it would be harder for them to leave."
City & County of Honolulu
