This project began as an exploration of DeKalb Fire Department’s budding community paramedicine program. Then DeKalb fire chief Luke Howieson pointed me to a related document our local hospital publishes. Suddenly the analysis seemed incomplete without a larger picture of emergency medicine and paramedicine, with inclusion of Northwestern Medicine facilities Kishwaukee Hospital and Ben Gordon…
Tag: EMS
Meeting today’s EMS challenges
I was never a fan of DeKalb’s decision to open a fourth fire station. It’s not financially sustainable. Already we see it in this year’s budget, with $100,000 coming out of the city’s operating reserve to repair fire facilities, and pension liabilities continuing to explode. A more modest expansion would have fit financial realities better.…
Sycamore Fire’s staffing woes flag a growing EMS burden
Have you noticed? Mutual aid for fire response has gotten out of hand. Some 10-15 years ago, newspaper reports typically would list 6 or 7 fire departments that showed up to assist the lead agency. The number has since crept up to 12. Why? At this point — which is to say, following exploration into…