New unit lafd

[hawaiifiveo]

LAFD introduces new unit equipped with nurse to help in medical emergencies - MyNewsLA.com

Mayor Eric Garcetti joined fire department officials Monday to show off a new firefighting unit staffed with a nurse practitioner able to treat patients at the scene, and announced that fire response times have improved.

mynewsla.com

 

[Bulldog]

I'm not sure why they are doing this or why it's really needed. Unless California is very different than most places Paramedics can do almost everything that a Nurse Practitioner can in their training is much more intensive in field type operations. Also, just having one of these units for the for the response area that they have will be like a drop in the bucket.

 

[mercurygrandmarquis1]

A few departments are doing this. I can see how it can be useful in the long run with cutting down on ER patients by doing more at the persons house.

 

[68jk09]

It would not work in NYC.

 

[CFDMarshal]

Mesa,AZ is doing this as well as a unit that handles EDP's! It has been so successful that they are expanding the program. In LA, they man a BLS ambulance that they call the 800 unit. This gets all the butt ache and sick calls. The firefighters hated it because it took them out of fire duty simply due to the sheer volume of the calls. The nurse practitoner is designed to get the ALS ambulance out of the ER bottleneck.