‘I called the medic; why is the fire truck out there?’

The following was originally published October 3, 2015.

“A fire chief is not paid to take risks; they are paid to know what risks to take,” the McGrath fire audit reports states before raising the pros and cons of various risks.

The report highlights a question often heard around town: “Why does a fire truck have to always go with the ambulance (on a call)?”

To the consultants, the answer hinges on complex factors.

“The issue involves traditional beliefs, lack of the use of technology, simplification of addressing the unknown, and most obvious is the separation of fire and PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), resulting in not working as a unified team,” the report said.

But Shelbyville Fire Department staff offered a more succinct view in a Thursday city meeting about staffing a third medic.

“It’s patient care,” Battalion Chief Kurt Lockridge said. “You’re paying that guy to do that job.”

Citing heavy equipment needs and the ever-increasing patient obesity problem contributing to employee back and lifting injuries, local firefighter union president B.K. McKenney added another layer to the explanation.

“It’s not just for the patients,” McKenney said. “It’s for us; it’s for our safety.”

Shelbyville Mayor Tom DeBaun said the scenario begs the question of whether the department possesses the appropriate equipment on each call or not.

With the combination of truck and ambulance on scene, to SFD, the answer is yes. But separating the two will cause unintended consequences.

“It’s like a carpenter coming to your house and not bringing his toolbox,” Lockridge said. “We can leave from that medic run and go to a car fire or car wreck, or whatever.”

With the fire truck on scene, the department can and does immediately head to other calls. Fire Chief Tony Logan noted that multiple calls typically come in at a time.

Understanding the need for a fire engine on scene, DeBaun asked if it was necessary to send the ladder truck, specifically.

But to the department, the ladder truck is just another engine.

“It’s a fire truck with a ladder on top of it,” Lockridge said.

McKenney cited the large amount of local manufacturing industry and modern construction methods causing a need to now address fires as quickly as possible.

“When we need (the ladder), time is of the essence,” McKenney said.

But the McGrath report plays devil’s advocate by noting that “not all medical calls are life-threatening situations.”

Fire Department staff admit hearing that assertion often.

“I called the medic; why is the fire truck out there?” Lockridge said he’s asked.

“The public expects us to handle that emergency on time,” McKenney said. “That engine can do everything a medic truck can do, besides transport...but an ambulance cannot do everything a fire truck can do.”

McGrath admits the public’s challenge in understanding the need for both.

“If you break your wrist it really isn’t an emergency, however, if I break mine it is,” the audit report said. “Therefore, the Fire Department is being prudent in their reaction to worst-case scenario.”

All things considered, running both vehicles is a response to risk that Logan accepts.

Thursday’s discussion also covered staffing a third medic vehicle. The mayor and board of works members agreed that permanently staffing a third medic was priority, given what Logan called “unreliable” private services.

In an effort to determine the best way to staff the need, the parties agreed to review data at a future meeting before proceeding. The next fire audit report/strategic planning meeting occurs Thursday, October 15