Fox DC
WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia is losing paramedics at an alarming rate and they are not being replaced. 53 have resigned or retired since Kenneth Ellerbe became fire chief in 2011. It is an exodus that has led to a critical staffing shortage with advanced life support units going unfilled every day.
The firefighters’ union has been sounding the alarm for months, telling D.C. councilmembers and anyone who will listen, the net loss of paramedics has created a “crisis” situation with first responders forced to work 36-hour shifts and advanced life support units left off the streets every single day.
Normal protocol has 14 medic units staffed during every shift. It is a number designed to make sure advanced life support is available within minutes of a 911 call in every ward in the city. But as paramedics leave without being replaced, those 14 medic units have dwindled.
Full story: DC medic departures causing major staffing concerns