LA to shut 18 Fire Engine Crews

Los Angeles City Council voted last week to shut down 18 fire engine crews in an effort to help rein in the city's massive deficit.

This is the latest in a steady erosion of the LAFD's budget and services. According to an Op-Ed by Jim Newton of the LA Times, the LAFD's "modified coverage plan" already means that "one out of three Fire Department divisions is always closed, as are two of its 16 battalions; half a dozen ambulances are out of commission at all times. Firefighters rotate through the city to cover for unstaffed areas. The result: Firefighters are often working in communities they don't know, confronting dangers they have not been trained to address."

The LAFD has been tasked with cutting its budget by 30% from 2009 levels, which is a hefty bite to take out of any public safety service. To comply, the LAFD has devised a "New Deployment Plan," which promises no fire stations will be closed and there will be no decline in service. How they can achieve that, given the rolling brownouts and a hiring freeze, is baffling.

Most of the press we've seen concentrates on the fire hazards of a reduced fire service. Considering that the majority of what LAFD does now is medical, when are we going to acknowledge the health care risks?

Debut of Fire Responders Network.tv

Congrats to the Chronicles of EMS team for the debut of their new program: Fire Responders Network.tv.

This great new network uses the power of entertainment, education, technology and partnership to work with and improve the health care industry. If you're an EMT, firefighter, filmmaker, social media expert, or just interested in our nation's EMS and health care system, make sure to check out this new platform to learn about the latest EMS news.

FIRST RESPONDERS NETWORK.TV

Insult to Injury

A man in Texas spent 6 hours in an ER waiting room with a sore ankle, got fed up and left without being seen. A few weeks later, he received a bill from the hospital for more than $100. The patient was told such billing was "standard procedure." After a local news station got involved, the bill was revoked and the incident was resolved.

Watch the report on KHOU.com.

What's unclear, is how often this sort of thing happens and how many patients are billed inappropriately.

Firestorm Screens at EMS Expo

FIRESTORM screened twice this week at the EMS Expo and Conference at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. The conference features educational workshops and labs by industry professionals as well as the latest EMS products, technologies and innovation.

Both on Thursday, September 30 and Friday, October 1, director Julie Winokur was on hand to screen her film and answer questions from the audience. Check out some photos from the expo:

Update on our June 23 post ("LAC+USC 'Dangerously Overcrowded' ")

Emergency department services in LA County's USC hospital continue to worsen according to an article from MercuryNews.com.

In August 2010, overcrowding took place 98 percent of the time, up from 80 percent in July. As a result, "adults arriving in the emergency room wait an average 12 1/2 hours from the time they are triaged until they are admitted or discharged."