what do you think is better a paid ambulance corps or volunteer amublance corps?

Answer 1

Paid, government service. Private service will run a call to it's extreme because every IV, every drug, every blood pressure is a dollar sign. They do not discourage "buttache" calls that bog down the 911 system because they only make money if they transport. At least with a government service, they will get a refusal for a case of the flu and not waste an ambulance that could otherwise be responding to a life threatening call.
It is more efficient for resources and personnel to run a government service rather than private EMS. Volunteers can be efficient but only if they are working a shift and not running from home whenever a call comes in. You also need to consider training levels. Instead of having national protocols as they use in Canada, the US allows each state to develop their own standards. This means that in some states, you are only required to have basic first aid, others require at least one intermediate and one paramedic on a box. There is a National Registry of EMTs. Those standards should be adopted across the country with an oversight committee determining what role EMT-I's and EMT-P's should be playing instead of having so much variation from service to service, state to state.
I also support the abolishment of 24/48 scheduling for EMS personnel. Many of these guys are running 12-20 calls a shift, running the full 24 without rest. Think about that ... would you want someone responsible for saving your life that has run 15 previous calls and is working his 22nd straight hour (probably with his 5th energy drink)? It is unsafe. Add to that the extra jobs that these guys work on their off time just to make ends meet. What you have is high turnover, lots of mistakes and a workforce spread too thin.
We need to show our support for the men and women who are driving that ambulance and putting our lives ahead of their own. Forget about the lazy "hero" firefighters. While they are rolling hose and putting out dumpster fires, it is the EMT and EMT-P who are making the real sacrifice.

Answer 2

Wow...to the above answerer.....I work for a private, paid service, and like everyone else who works for this service, I don't really give a rat's a$% how much the care costs. I actually don't know how much we charge for a response. My service has never talked to me about using more drugs, etc to get more money, and honestly, the thought has never occurred to me. I give every patient the best care irregardless of ability to pay.
Now, for the question. In small communities, a volunteer service may be better. The community usually can't afford to provide paid service, and volunteers are really gung-ho. I prefer a paid service, because people who provide care should be reimbursed for their time. I think that the paid service people, on average, are better trained.

Answer 3

I have seen paid services that leave a lot to be desired, and have worked on a volunteer service that was so professional it should have been a paid service. It depends on what kind of people are doing the work. the paid ones are there for a pay check and seem not to care as much about the patients. the volunteer people seem to have more care and compassion for the patients.

Answer 4

The only difference is one gets paid and the other doesn't.

Answer 5

Who cares?