r/Firefighting Jun 22 '25

Photos “Firefighting”- 90% E.M.S.

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771 Upvotes

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274

u/WittyClerk Jun 22 '25

The private nursing homes ought to be held accountable for the endless lift-assist calls, and start hiring competent staff, and paying their staff livable wages to do their jobs. Such a waste of resources. I've heard some fire departments have started charging for lift calls. Sounds like a swell idea.

6

u/rizzo1717 expert dish washer Jun 22 '25

Our equivalency of your nursing home/lift assistance, is homeless halfway housing.

We have 3 in our immediate response area and 1 in our sister station response area that becomes ours half the time. It is constant ODs and petty medical complaints. They supposedly staff their own medical staff but this does not reflect in our call volume.

4

u/themakerofthings4 Jun 22 '25

We have a rehab in one of our zones, fully medically staffed from doctor to nurse. We go out there on almost a daily basis. I've personally been out there 3 times in a shift for, wait for it, withdrawal symptoms.

1

u/Ok_Buddy_9087 Edit to create your own flair Jun 22 '25

We have one, go all the time. Some of the people don’t even make it past the triage process based on their CIWA score If they need anything more than oral phenobarbital, they go to the hospital to have their symptoms monitored. Just because nurses and doctors are there doesn’t mean they can manage some of these people. Withdrawal symptoms can be lethal. more than a few of the people we’ve transported end up in the ICU.

3

u/themakerofthings4 Jun 22 '25

Yeah, that's valid, but the greater majority of them aren't that, mostly just still drunk. We do occasionally get some dumpster fires out of there though.

1

u/Ok_Buddy_9087 Edit to create your own flair Jun 22 '25

We definitely get those too. But, again, depends how drunk. Some of these people definitely belong in a hospital setting to sober up. The rehab’s breathalyzer maxes out at .600. Ask me how I know. 😳

2

u/themakerofthings4 Jun 22 '25

😂 I'm guessing someone used it and it said either "out of range," or "high"

1

u/Ok_Buddy_9087 Edit to create your own flair Jun 22 '25

They tested a new incoming patient and that’s what it read. Nurse said she was probably higher, but that’s the best they could get.

Patient walked, mostly, to the stretcher.