WASHINGTON — About one out of six Alexandria Fire Department first responders have signed up for, begun or completed somewhat controversial new cross-training that is part of planned changes to how the department responds to 911 calls for medical help.
Fire Chief Robert Dubé told the City Council this week that 26 firefighters have started or finished the training, and 12 medics have at minimum signed up for it.
A group representing paramedics has challenged some parts of the year-old plan. All paramedics who choose not to do the cross-training have been promised that they will be able to keep their jobs, but the city acknowledged Tuesday that they could have been clearer on that point when the plan was first rolled out last fall.
Single-role medics work an average of eight 24-hour shifts each month, for an average of 42 hours per week. Dual-trained firefighter-medics work 10 shifts per month, for an average of 56 hours per week. The extra hours would come with a salary increase of 10 to 20 percent.
When Councilman Justin Wilson asked what would happen if he started choking on his fruit snacks, Dubé told him that a fire engine or truck and ambulance would respond.
Dubé says the focus of the change is on situations where no one certified in Advanced Life Support would be available under the current system, such as a situation where a previous call required the ambulance to take a patient to the hospital. Under the new system — when it is completely phased in — only one of the paramedics would go with the ambulance, while the other who is working on the fire engine or truck would remain available to help the next person to call 911.
The staffing plan calls for a full four-member crew on the engines, including at least one person trained in Advanced Life Support, with only one ALS-trained paramedic per ambulance instead of the current two. The other person in the ambulance would instead be trained as an EMT.
Dubé says the response of both a fire engine and ambulance is needed for each call that they are available, in case a patient has to be carried.
Separately, Dubé says the firefighter recruits needed to staff the new Fire Station 210 are enrolled in classes now, and the station will open in December. Its opening had been delayed due to budget issues.
