Even 3 MAST employees have agreed with me on that point.
I never log more than 15 in-service units at any given time on weekend mornings- do the math- that's one unit in service per 30,000 residents of their about 450,000 person service area.
Two area cities with around 30,000 residents- Raytown and Grandview for example- have AT LEAST 2 in-service paramedic units- or 1 for every 15,000 residents.
Quite often- MAST has to rely on ambulances from other agencies to run calls in KC-MO..
If you use the rule-of-thumb that there SHOULD be one ambulance for every 15,000 residents- then MAST should have no fewer than 30 ambulances in-service at any given time.
Kansas City-MO residents are served by half that number of paramedic units.
The STAR wasn't interested in this fact when I brought it to their attention- as an employee- in the mid-1990's.
I think the matter is too important to keep secret.
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7 comments:
I don't know where you get your figures, but peak staffing is WAY more than 15. It's at least 35-40. The LOWEST is at least 14. I asked around from people I know. Listen to the scanner when units go on the street, and tally when they leave. You'll see a lot of units go out at 6-9am, and more at 4-6pm.
How are you tabulating?
I wouldn't say they rely on other places either. I have not heard a mutual aid in the city proper more than a few times a week. Every now and then, on some wreck near Independence, AMR will mutual aid. And then on State Line, JoCo will mutual aid when down South. Rarely, and I mean rarely, will Raytown mutual aid. But it happens just as often for places like North KC, who wants to be able to clear their trucks and leave MAST to handle the piddley stuff. Which I think stiffs KCMO.
If you're going off old numbers from when EPI was running the show, things have changed a lot.
They're meeting their response times too. The last published numbers were at least 14 months, probably more now based on what I read in the meeting minutes from the Health Department, of meeting the response time requirements set by the city.
While Raytown might have 1:15,000, I don't know how you can say that 1:30,000 is any better than any other number. It's not raw numbers, but rather if there are enough ambulances in the places where there are actually calls. It's a fact that you'll need more ambulances at 40th and Prospect than 152 and N. Oak even if the same number of people are in each area.
I don't know how willing MAST would be to tell you the numbers, but it sounds like you are in a position where making a few calls would get you the answers.
The Health Department is probably the place to call since they're the ones pulling the purse strings.
Never EVER have I heard more than 15 or 16 units in-service- on-the-streets- overnight on weekends.
I write each and every unit number down here- clearing those that go "Priority 10" and those coming on.
If there are EVER more than 15 units on the streets overnights on weekends then they are hiding them- not talking to them on the radio.
FYI- a MAST supervisor- a MAST dispatcher and a MAST EMT agrees with me- that there are NOT enough MAST ambulances on the street.
In fact- come this weekend- I will keep a detailed list for you to check against- as well as the few trauma centers that close and I will post those Saturday & Sunday morning.
Tell them to put on 20-25 more crews so they can make a liar out me THEN- but not now.
I misread. You said weekends, not weekdays. I thought you meant weekdays. I have to imagine that Sundays are pretty busy, considering the lower staffing levels. Sunday at the hospitals are always busiest in the ERs. I don't understand why not Saturdays too. But Sundays are really busy. And if the ER is busy, 911 will be busy too since not all those people take the bus to Truman.
What would be an optimal number of ambulances that the people you talked to suggested?
I guess I should have stated when the staffing of 15 units occurs- but still- there are at least 450000 in their service area.
I think 1 to 15000 is a reasonable base- also considering our histories of multiple-trauma events- yes- even Midnight to 8am on weekends (especially between about Midnight and 3-4 am).
Sure- I realize the economics involved- I'm not advocating staffing for worst-case scenarios- only bad-case- which would be covered much better with a 1-15000 ratio.
Oh- unless MAST has changed overnight staffing on weekdays since 1999- I usually had around 15 units every weekday overnight as well.
Regards-
-Groucho
I counted this weekend when I was listening to start of shift and end of shift. I got a peak of 21. Sunday was low with about 16 at the lowest in the early hours like around 10 am. From there it went up to about 20-21.
Well heck my fellow citizen-
If you too listen to all this garbage I do (grin)- send me an email- doctor_mulcahy@yahoo.com and let's get acquainted- regardless if you're just a hobbyist or a news desker.
SUnday mornings are typically slow- about 16 units is what I logged overnight both Sat. & Sun. morning.
Of course we ALWAYS log dear MAST-111 - the airport unit. But anytime they run- that unit's post MUST be filled immediately according to protocol.
Regards
-Groucho
PS ON ALL THIS:
Let me make this much clear- I think MAST's people do a fantastic job- bar none- and I'd put up them against any EMS service in this country.
I just think more of them need to be on the streets....
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