I’ve been in EMS for 38 years. I’ve been certified in MA for 36.
Technology has been available for DECADES to track every single ambulance operating on the road.
We don’t need shitty groups to gather and discuss multiple levels of BS which will certainly boil down to $$$.
BTW: this same exact state wide GPS tracking of every ambulance within a state boundaries should be implemented nationally.
I am familiar with NYC/FDNY EMS. Started out under the Health and Hospitals Corporation [city agency] and then got moved to FDNY in 1995. Mix of hospital based and FDNY units under a City run dispatch system.
How does 911 work in MA? Private ambulances? Municipal? Are they considering a state wide system?
Totally mish mash. Complete mix of all the above.
But, that does not relinquish the ability for a state agency to have a live ambulance tracking map.
There are plenty of times that private ambulance companies have units floating through any given area. If the state tracks and coordinates with ALL the 911 systems, IMO, it’s technically possible to have a unit respond from just a few minutes away vs. the assigned 911 ambulance.
This tracking and immediate response from ANY of the closest ambulance has been possible for many years.
At this point [afaik] there are no private ambulances in the NYC 911 system. AMR has been lobbying for decades but never managed it.
The glaring problem is that most law makers have no idea how EMS works. In an ideal world they’d sit some senior medics down with the tech people and figure out the best way to handle it, and then have the law makers write it up. Like that will ever happen.
Tracking every ambulance that is working on the road shouldn’t matter if it’s public service or private.
It’s a simple game of “tag, you’re it”.
Of course, that would ruffle everyone’s ego and they’d also complain about losing $$ to who ever does the transport.
Because, you know allowing life saving transportation being an altruistic benefit to all, will never happen in the U.S.
I never worked for the privates, only volunteers and city EMS.
The problem I see is that if you let private ambulances take 911 calls, there are going to be sharks who going to figure out how to screw the system.
And of course every hamlet wants ‘their’ EMS and not those awful city folks.
Around here the privates are too busy with what their primary work/contracts require to sit to poach calls.
I think it would be a rare occasion to need to utilize one of them.
