Manatee County ends firefighter-paramedic program as more ambulances serve growing areas
With more emergency services available out east than ever before, the firefighter paramedic program in Manatee County is coming to an end after more than 20 years.
The program, which began in 2001, provided one trained firefighter paramedic at the Myakka City Fire Control District fire station on Wauchula Road. At the time, Manatee County only had one Advanced Life Support ambulance stationed east of Interstate 75.
A firefighter paramedic is trained as both a firefighter and a paramedic, meaning they can provide advanced life support. Patients still need to be transported in an ALS ambulance, however.
In October, the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners approved and stationed a full-time ALS ambulance at the fire station on Wauchula Road. The firefighter paramedic stationed there was then moved to the Verna Bethany Road station.
During that same month, Myakka City Fire Control District merged with East Manatee Fire Rescue.
“Since 2001, we have added six ambulances east of the interstate,” Manatee County Director of Public Safety Jacob Saur said. “A perfect storm was created when East Manatee took over Myakka City at the same time there is national paramedic shortage and a paramedic firefighter shortage.”
So Saur provided East Manatee Fire Rescue with the required 90-day written notice on the intent to terminate the agreement effective May 11.
“There is a shortage of workers nationwide and that includes paramedics and Manatee County isn’t immune to this national issue,” Whitehurst acknowledged in an issued statement.
With the county’s emphasis on the added ambulances out east, Whitehurst also cited how the data no longer supports staffing a fire engine with a firefighter paramedic.
“This is not something that East Manatee was in favor of,” Whitehurst continued. “We very much support the program and we were working with Manatee County to try to keep the firefighter paramedic program going.”
But the county’s first mission is EMS, or Emergency Medical Services, Saur stressed.
“We have an ALS ambulance in the city of Myakka. That is 100% better than a paramedic firefighter,” Saur said. “In all reality, we should have ended that program when we put an ambulance out there.”
Now Myakka City residents are getting better ALS service than they ever have, he added.
“We plan to continue to grow service as the population grows exponentially,” Saur said.
