By Matthew Reisen
Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
(TNS)
Mar. 1—The chief of Albuquerque Fire Rescue is speaking out against City Council legislation backed by the firefighters union that would set a quota for the number of paramedics assigned to each ambulance.
The resolution sponsored by Councilors Dan Lewis and Joaquin Baca, which is set for a vote at Monday’s council meeting, would require all AFR stations to have two paramedics onboard the rescue unit — an ambulance that responds alongside fire engines to address advanced medical emergencies.
The measure appeared on the council agenda Friday after AFR announced it would be making changes at several stations to have one paramedic on the ambulance and the other on the engine, something already put in place at two AFR stations in 2023 and a longstanding practice of Bernalillo County Fire Rescue. The change replaces the second paramedic on the ambulance with a firefighter with basic EMT training, according to AFR.
AFR Chief Emily Jaramillo said splitting the paramedics between the engine and ambulance would leave one free for an emergency should the other be tied up on a call.
Jaramillo said she was not consulted on the resolution, which she said could hinder AFR’s efforts to increase overall paramedic coverage citywide and lead to longer response times. It has been “a struggle my entire career” to recruit paramedics, she said, and requiring two on every ambulance would further tighten their availability.
“As the fire chief, it’s my responsibility to make these critical life-saving decisions, not politicians,” Jaramillo said in a statement sent out Friday. “I have significant concerns that this proposed resolution could have a negative impact on public safety and impede our ability to expand Advanced Life Support (ALS) coverage in the neighborhoods that need it most.”
In the worst-case scenario, Jaramillo said, that could mean not having a paramedic to respond to emergencies from some stations. She said she’s seeking to have six AFR stations — out of 22 — staffed with one paramedic each on an ambulance and engine, leaving 16 stations with two paramedics per ambulance.
Jaramillo said, while it’s ideal, it’s not necessary to have two paramedics on a rescue unit and having one paramedic is “considered a best practice” across the country.
The firefighter’s union, IAFF Local 244, said AFR’s plan to take a paramedic off the ambulance at six stations would lead to “potentially delaying lifesaving interventions and overburdening the remaining paramedics.”
“Our community deserves the best emergency care available,” Miguel Tittmann, IAFF Local 244 president, said in a statement. “This is a fight for public safety, and we’re calling on the City Council to stand with the firefighters who serve this city every day.”
When asked, Baca did not say why he didn’t consult Jaramillo before introducing the resolution.
Baca said, in a statement, “As city councilors and constituent representatives, we must listen to our unions. These firefighters are on the front lines and sacrifice so much for our safety and protection.”
Lewis said he would have consulted with Jaramillo about the resolution if “she would have told” him of her planned changes ahead of time.
Lewis told the Journal two-paramedic staffing provided the best possible emergency service and he looked “forward to working with the administration to build more stations and hire more medics to continue to improve response times.”
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