Letter: Why send a fire truck to do an ambulance's job?

Nov 25, 2023

In my career, caring for elderly people in Napa over the years, there was one call many begged me not to make in times of duress: "911."

It was the call I knew had to make if there was a fall, or someone was too weak to stand up, or if I found them confused in bed. There was no arguing whether help was needed. It was that the help would arrive with sirens, a fire truck, an ambulance, and 5-6 people in blue uniforms, prepared to save a life.

The question often asked was, "Why does the fire truck have to come?"

The city of Napa Fire Department, like most throughout the nation, has seen a big drop in fire calls, and a big jump in medical calls. Last year, about 11,098 emergency calls were received by the city's fire stations. Of these, 7,537 were medical service or rescue calls. Only 260 were calls for fires. Another 1,275 were "good intent" calls, which are unspecified.

Altogether, in 2022, 67% of calls were medical emergencies.

A medical call can range from a simple fall and an inability to get back up, to a multi-car accident. The fire department doesn't track specific incidents, but one can be sure that each incident means a fire truck and an ambulance will make it to the scene in a matter of minutes. Almost guaranteed is a trip to the nearest hospital, Queen of the Valley. Sometimes the fire truck goes to the hospital behind the ambulance.

A fire truck does not transport. Only an ambulance can transport.

In Napa, there are five large fire trucks and three ambulances available at any given time.

Each time the fire truck leaves the station, it costs over $700. There are three people on every engine, and two in the ambulance. That's at least five staff arriving at the scene, with at least one paramedic and two EMTs. The ambulance is a private service, and that's what most health insurances pay for. The fire truck, that's what we support with our property taxes.

Because I live within two blocks of the hospital, and within a mile of most of the senior living facilities in Napa, I am very aware of the sound of sirens rushing to the next emergency. At least in my neighborhood, many of these emergencies are at the local nursing homes, assisted living center and senior apartment homes. I always wonder why the fire truck is going out on a medical call. It seems like a real waste of a resource.

I’m not convinced that five people are needed to transport someone to the hospital each and every time. Or, why a large truck, packed with full firefighting gear, is parked out front of Napa Nursing Center for the third time in a week?

Sending out fire trucks on all calls results in unnecessary wear and tear on expensive fire-fighting equipment and public infrastructure, more air pollution from diesel emissions and needless consumption of fuel. Over-deployment of firefighters can contribute to firefighter fatigue. The lights and sirens are over-utilized, and unnecessarily put responders and the public at risk.

Other cities are starting to change this protocol. Quick Response Vehicles, staffed with two paramedics are becoming more popular. Some cities, Alameda and Anaheim, for example, deploy QRV's to non-urgent calls. New York City and Wichita are also using more SUVs. The Los Angeles Fire Department has developed a pilot program of four QRV that regularly patrol the homeless/Skid Row area. All of these innovations have drastically cut back on fire truck dispatches.

Grand jury investigations in Santa Clara and Orange counties have also concluded that fire trucks should not be responding to most medical emergencies. They agreed that this is not the best use of this resource.

The cities making the switch to QRV's have found that they’re saving money on brakes and tires, the response times are faster, fuel savings and better vehicle maneuverability.

Plus, the fire truck is now available for what it's best suited for: A fire.

It's time to consider alternatives to dispatching a full ladder truck to respond to a sprained ankle or fall out of bed. In a world of limited resources, it makes sense to optimize the resources we have.

Yvonne Baginski

Napa

Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!

Even though I am young, I have experienced racism, even in my own school. Napa is not the easiest place for a little Black girl to live.

While free expression is a fundamental right we all cherish, it is crucial to acknowledge when certain expressions cross the line into harmful…

Recently as I passed the former Kentucky Fried Chicken on Jefferson and saw that Starbucks has bannered the construction fence with signage Co…

We are among the many Napa residents who have just been denied renewal for their homeowner's insurance due to wildfire risk. Though we are in …