Texas FD Proposing Patient Transport Program

Sept. 09--Georgetown's proposed budget includes a new program that would allow firefighters trained as paramedics to take patients to the hospital in some cases instead of waiting for Williamson County EMS to arrive.

The program would include nine new firefighters trained as paramedics and two transitional response vehicles, which are essentially ambulances outfitted with some firefighting equipment. It wouldn't cost taxpayers anything because it would be paid for by patient fees, said Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan.

The Georgetown City Council will take a final vote on the budget Tuesday night.

The cost of the ambulances plus the salaries and benefits of the firefighters is just more than $1 million, Sullivan said.

The idea doesn't sit well with Dr. Jeff Jarvis, the medical director of Williamson County Emergency Medical Services. "I think we already provide a great level of service to the city of Georgetown," he said.

EMS has three ambulances serving Georgetown that answered an average of 16 calls a day in 2013, Jarvis said. He questioned whether paramedics hired by the Fire Department could provide the same level of clinical care as Williamson County paramedics, who have an average of seven years of experience.

Ambulance service is also expensive to provide, he said. Williamson County lost $1.2 million in 2013 operating the three ambulances in Georgetown because payments were less than the cost of service provided, Jarvis said.

Sullivan said the Fire Department could be more cost efficient because 75 percent of the calls that it responds to are medical.

The Georgetown Fire Department is not trying to replace the service that Williamson County EMS provides in Georgetown, Sullivan said. "We are looking to try to supplement what they are doing," he said.

"What makes Georgetown unique, more so than any other community in Central Texas, is that almost 30 percent of the population is over the age of 65 and they have a greater need for pre-hospital care," Sullivan said. "I put public safety before politics. My first and foremost goal is to ensure the safety of the community."

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