WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Subcommittee unanimously votes to move forward on EMS policy change

Subcommittee unanimously votes to move forward on EMS policy change

By Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield - bio | email

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Richland County officials met Tuesday to discuss the subject of a WIS News 10 investigation.

Our investigation looks into a county EMS policy saying only county EMS employees can drive ambulances. Columbia firefighters cannot.

A county subcommittee has unanimously recommended the council move forward with a change in the policy assuming the city will pick up the costs of an estimated $50,000 to $100,000.

Critics say the current policy risks lives because in some instances, a firefighter cannot drive a patient to the hospital. Instead, the EMS workers and firefighters on scene have to wait for another ambulance to get there to have a driver.

Our investigation found if you look at every county surrounding Richland, none of them share the same policy.

In September, a Richland County spokesperson told WIS News 10 the county was willing to change its policy, but because the county does not run the fire department, someone from the City of Columbia would have to initiate.

Two days later, the city did. Fire Chief Bradley Anderson says they sent a memo offering to train to drive the county's ambulances if the county would let them.

Richland County EMS Director Michael Byrd wants people to know rushing a patient away is not always best.

"They're using the exact same protocols in the ER, exact same drugs," said Byrd. "We're just like an extension of that ER physician out in the field."

Byrd had two EMTs show us how it works on a dummy. From stabilizing a patient to administering meds, giving compressions and opening the "patient's" airway, Byrd says all of it can be done at the scene.

In cardiac arrest cases, Byrd says it's better to stay put and stabilize than to go zooming down the road.

Every year, Richland County EMS answers around 47,000 calls. Firefighters also respond. But when EMTs are tied up, the firefighters can't help drive.

"The county has a very strict driving policy, not just for ambulances but for every vehicle the county owns, the administrative and council set up that policy," said Byrd.

The policy was not put into place for patient care reasons. He says its simply for all county vehicles.
     
Byrd says he doesn't think firefighters driving would make much of a difference in patient care, especially in cardiac arrest cases.

But in trauma cases, he says it is important that patients get to the ER quickly. Still, Byrd says he thinks the policy works the way it is.

"I don't think it's going to change much because as you saw, there's so many things that need to be done with a cardiac arrest patient that even if we had a person on scene waiting to drive an EMS vehicle, all of those things would still have to be done," said Byrd.

Time is of the essence, EMS officials say, but in certain cases it's a bit more complicated.

County council is examining the situation and considering changing it, but there are insurance, liability and training hurdles in making a change happen.

Despite that, council does see enough reason to look into change.

Previous Story:

• Columbia City Council to reexamine controversial EMS policy

• Does a Richland Co. EMS policy contribute to patients' deaths?

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