Inside Bay Area (California)
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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- We have seen things go right. An auto accident takes place, someone is injured, and the paramedics are first on the scene to administer aid.
But what happens when things go wrong?
A recent report in the Los Angeles Times revealed that California is not set up to consistently weed out poor performers or dangerous patterns from paramedics and emergency medical technicians. There is virtually no system in place to ensure that potentially problematic cases are reported and investigated or that errant rescuers are held accountable.
An examination of EMTs in California from 2000 to 2006 shows that there is no coherent system for reporting problems or processing complaints that could lead to discipline. The numbers and types of disciplinary actions are stunningly inconsistent -- Orange County revoked two certificates out of about 2,500 EMTs while Sacramento County, with 1,500 EMTs, did not even put one on probation. Then you have San Luis Obispo County, which disciplined 48 out of only 550 EMTs. We doubt San Luis Obispo had a mysterious run of incompetent EMTs.
And there are communication breakdowns among regulators and fire departments. There was one case where a technician was caught allegedly impersonating a paramedic and wound up being suspended in Kern County. Did that stop this particular individual? Not in the least. In fact, she managed to work and renew her EMT credential in an adjacent jurisdiction -- within the state of California.
How it works -- or, in this case, doesn’t work: Paramedics are licensed and are supposedly held accountable by the state Emergency Medical Services Authority, but it has limited enforcement powers at best. EMTs receive less training and answer to regional authorities. But to whom do we report problems, and who processes the complaints? The ambulance companies? The counties? The hospitals?
It’s clear that a state body with no power and regional “authorities” are unable to properly oversee paramedics and EMTs who play a vital role in health care and our safety. Many paramedics and EMTs are very good in their roles, but what about the ones who are not?
What’s needed is some teeth at the state level, a body equipped to investigate, process complaints and penalize those who fail in their responsibilities. We believe the California Health Services Department is the right candidate to step in and oversee paramedics and EMTs, identify troublesome areas, and make the proper moves to solve problems.
Why risk more lives? This is an area that’s too vital for our safety to leave in the hands of those who are either too busy or too thoughtless.