% WHERE THE NITRATES COME FROM.
% >> DIRECTORS OF EMERGENCY
% MEDICAL SERVICES ACROSS
% WISCONSIN ARE WARNING OF A
% SYSTEM ON THE BRINK.
% THIS IS ACCORDING TO OUR NEXT
% GUEST WHO SAYS THERE IS NOT
% ENOUGH MONEY AND NOT ENOUGH
% PEOPLE TO PERFORM THE LIFESAVING
% WORK.
% AND THAT EMS HAS RELIED TOO
% HEAVILY ON VENAL TIERS FOR TOO
% LONG.
% JAMES SMALL IS THE RURAL
% OUTREACH MANAGER FOR THE
% WISCONSIN ASSOCIATION OF RURAL
% HEALTH.%HOW IS THE EMS SYSTE
M ON THE
% BRINK?
% >> RIGHT NOW IN MANY COMMUNITIES
% AROUND THE STATE AND AROUND THE
% COUNTRY THIS ISN'T JUST A
% WISCONSIN ISSUE, IT IS A
% NATIONAL ISSUE THAT'S GOING ON.
% THERE IS MANY COMMUNITIES THAT
% HAVE HISTORICALLY DEPENDED ON
% VOLUNTEERS OR NEAR VOLUNTEERS
% WHERE THEY'RE BEING A PAID A
% SMALL AMOUNT BUT NOT A FULL-TIME
% WAGE FOR PROVIDING EMS RESPONSE.
% AND WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT
% WE'VE HAD A DECLINE IN THE
% NUMBER OF PEOPLE AVAILABLE TO DO
% THAT.
% AND THERE IS NOT THE FINANCIAL
% RESOURCES TO REPLACE THEM WITH
% FULL-TIME STAFF.
% SO AS YOU LOOK AROUND THE STATE
% AT WHAT THE SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE,
% ABOUT A THIRD OR MAYBE A LITTLE
% OVER A THIRD OF AMBULANCE
% SERVICES IN WISCONSIN TODAY ARE
% NOT ABLE TO STAFF 24/7, 365 LIKE
% THEY ARE REQUIRED TO.
% SO ONE IN THREE LET'S SAY.
% IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE IS
% ANOTHER THIRD THAT ARE CONCERNED
% THAT THEY CAN'T DO THAT THROUGH
% 2023.%SO WITHIN THE NEXT YEA
R THEY MAY
% HAVE SYSTEM OUTAGES.
% ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IT PLACES
% THE BURDEN ON THE NEIGHBORING
% SERVICES TO HANDLE THEIR CALLS
% AND EVEN BEEN SITUATIONS WHERE
% SOMEBODY HAS CALLED 911 AND THE
% AMBULANCE NEVER MADE IT TO THE
% HOUSE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET
% AN AMBULANCE FOR THEM.
% >> DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH
% STAKEHOLDERS, LAWMAKERS ARE
% AWARE OF WHAT YOU'VE DESCRIBED
% AS A CRISIS?
% >> YES.
% IN THE DISCUSSIONS I'VE HAD IN
% THE LAST FEW MONTHS WITH THE
% LEGISLATURE, I BELIEVE THEY'RE
% VERY AWARE THAT THERE IS A
% CRISIS AND ARE PLANNING ON
% WORKING TOWARDS A SOLUTION TO
% THAT IN THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE
% SESSION.%>> DOES THE SOLUTION
TO THAT, IS
% IT MONEY?
% IS THAT WHAT MUNICIPALITIES
% NEED?
% >> OH, THAT'S PROBABLY FIRST AND
% FOREMOST AREA WE NEED TO GO DOWN
% IS INCREASING THE FUNDING TO
% LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES.
% RIGHT NOW THE FUNDING THAT COMES
% FROM THE STATE THROUGH THE
% SHARED REVENUE PROGRAM IS THE
% SAME AMOUNT IT WAS IN 1993.
% TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE.
% IN 1993 IS WHEN I GOT MY EMS
% LICENSE ORIGINALLY AND I'M
% ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE IN THREE
% YEARS.
% SO I COULD CONCEIVABLY HAVE
% WORKED MY ENTIRE CAREER UNDER
% THE SAME AMOUNT OF SHARED
% REVENUE AS WHAT IS OUT THERE
% TODAY.
% >> HOW LONG HAS THE ISSUE WITH
% EMS BEEN A SITUATION?
% >> IT'S BEEN GROWING FOR
% PROBABLY 20 YEARS AT THIS POINT.
% IT JUST REACHED A CRISIS POINT.
% SIX YEARS AGO THE LEGISLATURE
% DID A LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL STUDY
% COMMITTEE WHICH LOOKED AT ISSUES
% AND WHAT SOLUTIONS RELATING TO
% THIS BUT NEVER GOT ANY TRACTION
% IMPLEMENTING ANY OF THE IDEAS
% BROUGHT FORTH FROM THAT
% COMMITTEE.%I THINK NOW WE'RE
IN A DIFFERENT
% POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT WHERE
% MAYBE SOME OF THOSE IDEAS CAN BE
% BROUGHT FORTH AGAIN.
% >> IS THERE A REGION OF THE
% STATE WHERE THIS IS MOST ACUTE?
% >> IN THE MORE RURAL AREAS IT'S
% MORE ACUTE FOR THE MOST PART.
% BUT I THINK THAT AS YOU GO
% AROUND THE STATE, YOU WILL FIND
% THAT MOST REGIONS HAVE AREAS
% THAT ARE HAVING DIFFICULTIES.
% RIGHT NOW WE'RE CONDUCTING A
% STUDY OF THE STATEWIDE SYSTEM
% AND WE'RE SEEING REPORTS FROM
% ALL OVER THE STATE DESCRIBING
% SYSTEM OUTAGES AND LACK OF
% STAFFING AND SO ON.
% >> IS THERE A DOLLAR FIGURE FOR
% WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO TRY TO
% REPLACE THE AGING VOLUNTEER
% POPULATION WITH FULL-TIME PAID
% STAFF?
% >> I WOULD IMAGINE THAT'S IN THE
% HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
% I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHETHER
% IT'S 200 MILLION OR 500 MILLION
% OR UPWARDS OF THAT.
% BUT IN ADDITION TO THE EMS THERE
% IS ALSO THE FIRE RESPONSE ISSUES
% WITH THE VOLUNTEER FIRE
% DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE VERY
% SIMILAR.
% LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS SIMILAR
% ISSUES ALSO WITH FUNDING AND NOT
% ENOUGH PEOPLE.
% SO PUBLIC SAFETY AS A WHOLE IS
% HAVING A LOT OF CHALLENGES RIGHT
% NOW THAT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT
% SOLUTIONS FOR GOING FORWARD SO
% WE CAN AT LEAST STOP THE
% BLEEDING AND START BUILDING
% THINGS BACK TO WHERE WE NEED TO
% HAVE RESPONSE CAPABILITY.
% YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK AT SOME OF
% THESE TRAGIC INCIDENT THAT
% HAPPEN AROUND THE COUNTRY.
% IF ONE OF THOSE HAPPENED IN
% CERTAIN AREAS OF OUR STATE RIGHT
% NOW WE DON'T HAVE THE CAPABILITY
% OF RESPONDING TO THOSE
% INCIDENTS.
% >> SO WHAT IS THE SITUATION LIKE
% FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF WHO
% DEDICATE YOUR LIFE'S WORK TO
% SAVING OTHERS?
% >> IT'S CHALLENGING.
% I THINK THAT WHAT WE'RE SEEING
% IS THAT PEOPLE ARE BURNED OUT.
% YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE NUMEROUS
% SERVICES AROUND THE STATE THAT
% ARE BEING OPERATED ON 3 OR 4
% VOLUNTEERS TRYING TO COVER 24/7,
% 365.
% IT IS A HUGE BURDEN TO PUT ON
% SOMEBODY THAT ALREADY HAS A
% FULL-T
% FULL-TIME JOB.
% THESE PEOPLE HAVE DONE ANYTHING
% IN THEIR POWER TO MAKE IT WORK
% BUT THEY CAN'T ANYMORE.
% IN SOME CASES, THE SYSTEM
% FAILURES ARE HAPPENING BECAUSE
% OUR DEDICATED EMPLOYEE HAS
% PASSED AWAY SO THEY'VE LOST THAT
% CONTRIBUTION BECAUSE THEY WORKED
% UNTIL THEY DIED.
% THERE ARE SERVICES THAT HAVE AN
% AVERAGE AGE ON THE ROSTER OF
% OVER 70 YEARS OLD.
% IT IS NOT SUSTAINABLE WHERE
% WE'RE AT AND LOOKING AT A
% COLLAPSE OF THE SYSTEM IN
% REGIONS AROUND THE STATE.
% >> THAT'S SOUNDING THE ALARM.
% JAMES SMALL, THANK YOU VERY
% MUCH.
% FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
% ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT