Like many EMS departments around the state, Berkeley County EMS was facing a serious paramedic shortage as recently as a months ago. Now, Berkeley County officials say they have turned that around thanks to new medical technology and an expanded budget helping recruit and retain new EMTs.
“This is a piece of equipment that we’re extremely happy to get on these trucks,” explained Berkeley County EMS Chief Matt Lindewirth as he holds video laryngoscope. It’s the latest portable medical technology his agency uses for patients.
“Inside of it we have all of these things specific for pediatric patients directly,” he said.
While patient care is a top priority, he says state-of-the-art gear can serve another purpose.
“So the equipment is really for the patient. But what it does for our recruitment process is it allows us to empower our current employees and our new employees. So it helps with retention and recruitment,” Chief Lindewirth said.
He says the county invested $1.4 million dollars in the past year for new medical tools. It’s one of the strategies he believes is paying off in attracting new paramedics.
“I know that our officials in Berkeley County are really supportive and I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been so capable of recruiting,” the chief said.
Chatter among public service experts is how to convince local governments to bump up salaries. Skip Kirkwood is a national EMS instructor. He says ambulance rides aren’t enough to cover expenses.
“We all know that transport revenue does not pay the cost, is not adequate to pay the cost of protecting a community, particularly one as large as Berkeley County,” Kirkwood said.
For leaders like Chief Lindewirth, the benefits of quality services are worth the cost.
“We want to hire only the best. Our motto is excellence through care,” he said.
Last year, Berkeley County EMS had 23 full-time openings. This year, there are 5 vacancies.
EMS officials are convinced a 70-percent increase in their budget is helping them keep up with emergency demands in a growing county.
Chief Lindewirth says six new paramedics will begin Monday. Charleston County officials tell ABC News 4 there are 30 openings. But most of those are part of an expansion approved by county council last year.
Source: http://bit.ly/2yLxetJ
