30 minutes or more, just to get to someone calling 911, before you start the drive to the hospital. “A Call For Help:” Maine’s EMS and Paramedic shortage
“The volunteer system was great back in the day when you had one income. Now you have multiple income families, some families have multiple jobs. They don’t want to get up in the middle of the night, they don’t want to get up from a dinner table to go on those calls. So the volunteer ideation is gone,” said [Rob McGraw, Chief of the East Millinocket Fire/EMS Department.]
It’s a systemic problem for rural EMS and paramedics.
And of course there just isn't enough money in the system - a system that is controlled mostly by government. So what happens if things go on without major changes?
“There’s going to be people who call 911 and no one is going to show up,” said McGraw.
In NH, one must be “vaccinated against c19” in order to take EMS training. My guess is that requirement became mandatory in many states.
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