How Long Does It Take You Ask??? As a small discussion broke out on Facebook, I need to find out ….. how long does it take? At what point in time does Alabama EMS in particular those who are employed by private EMS services, finally get fed up and stand up for themselves? The comment on Facebook was simple. “Cost of living up 7%, employee insurance up 30% and a pay increase of 2 or 3% …. REALLY?” As different comments began to come in I ask the question, how long until EMS stops just accepting what they are given and stand up, together as an industry and working for what is rightfully ours? Police officers did it, firefighters did it, and even the nursing industry has done it. These aforementioned people deserve every dime they get, every benefit they get and so do we. I am personally tired of working more and more while others in nursing or other emergency services stay the same, and loosing more and more of my pay check to taxes, insurance and a slap in the face raise; all the while taxes increase, insurance goes up and forbid we have to miss time because we are using said insurance through an illness, injury or a family member being sick or hurt. EMS is simply using up our productive years to pad their own pocket. While it may not be easy a majority of these employers would not be in this industry if they are not making money. So while they pocket more money, hiding it in other areas to save their own corporate taxes, pay bonuses for upper management and hair brained ideas that look great when you get to go home and sleep in your own bed every night, while you and I (EMS) just happily take what we get. At the end of the day what they are doing is making a good living on the backs, careers and health of those of us on the streets for as little as possible in return. I suppose critics will come back and say if you want those benefits, then become a police officer, firefighter or a nurse. There may be a small amount of truth in that, but if I wanted to be a cop, firefighter or a nurse I would have become one. My calling is what I have spent the majority of the last 20 years doing. Holding grandmas hand as we take her back to the hospital, comforting grandpa as we take him back to the nursing home knowing he will not come back home again, or getting up at 0300 to go get that regular patient because they need some juice, a sandwich, or a pregnancy test but they always call for chest pain, with the ever so rare occurrence that we may save life. I’m sure I am not the only one who would say the same thing about why I am here. Should I/we just be happy to have a job and keep taking as little as the industry will hand us? I will accept my blame for where we are. I have spent 20 years + working in this field and sitting on my back side gladly getting this paycheck and company insurance thinking I was doing the right thing. So yes I am to blame. So are you, the other experienced people who have been around this industry for years, and so is the employers who take advantage of everyone who put their lives on the line everyday, and the powers to be who keep putting more and more responsibilities on our job description and let this industry abuse those who give to it. At some point in time we need to make a conscious choice …. Be happy with what we have or finally decide to work together and make improvements. This industry is screaming to be considered professional, yet we find more ways to not work together and make the necessary changes. Changes needed in pay, skills, education, benefits or any other way, so how has that worked so far? The way it has worked so far is we have just digested what the industry has handed us and smiled and stood there like bread Sunday in the soviet union wishing we could have just a little more but keeping our mouth shut so as not to be exiled to the proverbial camps of Siberia. EMS will not team together because some are men some are women, some work in this part of the state and some work in that part of the state, some are EMR’s , some are Basics and Advanced Basics, some of us are Intermediates and some are Paramedics, we will not work together because some wear a red shirts, some where a white shirts, some wear blue shirts and well the excuses go on and on and on. Part of my biggest fears at this point though is some will not work together because they do not see this situation as being broken. Or worse, the old “We have always done things this way”, and the biggest fear of all to me, are those of you who say “nothing we do will make a difference”. If that is your reasoning please move out of the way. Your time is up. Burn out has taken control of your thought process, it is well past time for the rest of us in this industry to take responsibility for themselves and if you truly want change, start taking the steps now so that maybe those youngest in this industry can get some relief, respect and response from those who continue to try and milk every last minute they can out of us, for as little as possible in return. My advice is for you to stop sitting back drinking the cool-aid we are given as they say, and stand up for the industry you believe in. We as emergency medical providers have got to find a way to sit at the table together and make some decisions. We must as a group must decide why no one can give us a list of those who have been killed in the line of duty; we must decide why no one takes up the fight of EMS Safety as a whole in Alabama. We must decide why after all these years we are not considered professionals by those we come in contact with, physicians, nurses, firefighters even the general public. By many we are seen as cowboys and even worse, we are all ambulance drivers. We must decide how and when we are going to come together and begin the process of accomplishing the goals we all have in mind, yet too many do not want to get involved, or do not have time for, or think it is a waste of time. Apathy is no excuse for accepting less than you deserve. We deserve protection of our jobs, we deserve protection from low wages and benefits that cost us too much money, why do we just accept the need to work two and three jobs, or tolerate unsafe amounts of hours working on an ambulance just to provide for our families. We deserve the opportunity to increase our trade ability and skills and receive compensation for that increase. We deserve to not have to spend our money on the company’s uniforms. I have never in my life meet a police officer, deputy sheriff, state trooper or firefighter who had to go out and buy their own uniform, why do so many in EMS have to do that??? The same reason so many issues concerning EMS pay and benefits exist, because we in EMS let it happen and continue to be ok with it. There is a need for a complete make over of EMS in Alabama as far as pay, benefits and protections. While a lot of people in this industry are not affected by this, many of you are. As long as we sit back and keep our mouth shut nothing will change. Do you TRUTHFULLY think your employer no matter how big or small is going to come to you and say look we have been unfairly doing things so to make up for it we are going to increase your pay, increase your benefits and charge you less for those benefits and to top it off you no longer have to work every bleeding moment you can to make a living? If that happens let me know have a resume I need to polish up. Nothing is going to change on its own folks I don’t have to say that, we all know if you do nothing you get nothing. As a famous or infamous depending on how you look at it person I know used to say, if you always do what you have always done you will always get what you always got. This can be fixed. It is not easy and it is not fast. A lot of people will stir up division in a group if and when a group finally decides to get together and work together. You can see it in any group, industry, politics and any where else people finally stand up and work together because negative changes do not come from a group of people with a common interest finally set aside personal interest and conflict to begin looking objectively at their common interest and how to make it better and that sits uncomfortably with those in charge. The vehicle is already in place to move to this position of sitting down together. The Alabama EMT Association is here for simply for pulling together ideas, thoughts and the common interest of EMS, on a whole, in Alabama. Is it the RIGHT vehicle? I can not answer that, only each of you can answer that question. All I can say about the Alabama EMT Association is, we want to bring these issues and many more to the table to discuss them. We want each and every one in Alabama who carry an EMS License to get involved with us, unifying our voices and our efforts for every license carrying person to have a voice for protecting themselves, their trade ….. your Profession. We are not in the political business of back room deals, no one on the Board is compensated, and we make open to our members our records our books and our meetings. This Association is not a political machine to force anything on anyone and there is no perceived power by being a Board Member or Officer of this Association, because if we have 5 members or 15,000 members the only power we have as a Board is the power our members give us. We are an Association of members. Thos of us as members of this Association are simply saying, we all have common interest. That interest is EMS in Alabama and we haqve a desire to be heard, have an opportunity to voice that opinion in a manner in which it can and will be heard. That is a unified voice, spoken in unison, instead of a few here a few there and none of those voices saying the same thing. While our opinions may not always match when there is a majority of a group that support and idea, and that idea is brought to the powers to be, as a group, the idea has merit. With merit and patience things can be changed and in a positive way. This Association is built on the idea, that if we have 5 members or 15,000 members we choose to effect positive change in the peaceful power of numbers, and we are not nor should we attempt to make changes through threats, intimidation or force. We are here simply as a foundation to build a coalition of Alabama Emergency Medical Providers to positively effect positive change. We are not a political machine, we are not a money maker and we are not professional officers and board members. These are all positions that can be obtained by you the members. Our by laws state an officer or board member does not have the right to a 20 year run. Once your tenure is up …. You are finished and it is time for new blood, new ideas and new people to take their time in office and serving the members of this Association. Our membership dues are low and some are free, we have a huge platform of goals that is carried financially on the backs of our corporate members, not you. I do not fear organization. If you think we are not doing things right then challenge us, call us out, tell us what is wrong or start your own organization. But in wrapping up this I will swear to you in my loudest most impassioned voice and plead with each of you, if we do not find a way to set aside our petty differences we will never get the changes we need to do this job safer, without fear of our jobs constantly, to earn a respectable wage and fair benefits. Charles Rowlett – President Alabama EMT Association Cer3511@mindspring 334-419-4869
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 19:26:25 +0000
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