By Margie Plunkett
Delray Beach Fire Station No. 2 — Gulf Stream’s main station — no longer has a rescue transport to accompany its fire engine to calls, the result of a temporary staff change meant to ensure the safety of the station’s firefighters.
The closest available transport from another station will respond when there is a call, Delray Beach Fire Chief David C. James told Gulf Stream commissioners at their April meeting. Commissioners learned of the change shortly before approving a new contract for Delray Beach fire services, which costs 41 percent more than previously — and will rise again when a firefighter is hired to put the transport back in commission.
The two paramedics from the rescue transport were reassigned to the engine at Fire Station 2 at 35 Andrews Ave., which serves coastal residents in Delray Beach and Gulf Stream. That brings the engine’s staff up to four. The engine was understaffed, said James, adding that for four years now the department has been unable to hire another firefighter because of budget constraints.
Fire engine 2’s capabilities were upgraded to Advanced Life Support with the staff change, which means it has full paramedic abilities except for medical transport, James said.
“I’m very comfortable with this plan,” James said, responding to Gulf Stream Mayor William F. Koch Jr.’s question about risk. “It’s not the best, but it is temporary. It offers the highest level of security not only to the public but to the firefighters who might arrive with only one person fighting a fire.”
The best solution is to add another firefighter to the station, James added, noting that he has again asked for the position in his current budget request. With just two people manning Engine 2, James has documented incidents of the unit arriving first on the scene of a fire with inadequate staff to perform safely, according to a memo to Delray Beach commissioners. “Our continued exposure dictates an immediate modification to our deployment strategy before a tragedy occurs,” the memo stated. Delray Beach devised a program to increase the number of people on each of its fire trucks at all six stations after federal changes, James told Gulf Stream. The priority of upgrading staff was based on the frequency of calls per unit; Station No. 2 had the least number of calls.
Delray Beach commissioners approved the temporary measure at their March 17 meeting. During public comment at a subsequent meeting, a resident chastised them for the move. Essential services should not be cut before discretionary spending, such as for programs like Sister Cities or the downtown shuttle, if a tightening budget dictates trims, he said.
The day after the Station 2 change took effect April 1, a call came in that put it to the test, James said. The station got a call about a north Gulf Stream resident who was having difficulty breathing. The first emergency team to arrive was Gulf Stream police, who administered CPR to the victim, who had gone into cardiac arrest. The fire engine from Station 2 — with paramedics and advanced rescue equipment on board — arrived six minutes from the call, the average response time for Gulf Stream, James said. Thirty seconds later, the rescue transport from Station No. 6 joined them.
In this case, it was inconsequential that the rescue transport arrived 30 seconds after the fire truck, James said. The Gulf Stream police’s actions were critical to the victim’s survival. And the paramedics on Engine 2 took over as soon as they arrived.
At the April meeting, Gulf Stream commissioners approved a new 10-year contract for fire and emergency services with Delray Beach. The fee for the services rises to $229,000 annually, up about 41 percent from the previous contract, commissioners pointed out. Chief James said later that the price was increased to bring it closer to what Delray Beach and other municipalities pay for fire rescue services. The previous contract’s price was similar to the annual cost for one firefighter, he said.
The lone dissenter on the contract vote was Commissioner Chris D. Wheeler, who protested the increased costs. “It’s good for them to know we’re struggling with it as well,” Wheeler said.
But Commissioner Joan K. Orthwein said, “Look how much cheaper it is than having our own fire department.” Gulf Stream’s fee will rise again when Delray Beach hires a fifth firefighter for Station 2, according to the contract. “The annual service fee shall be adjusted to reflect Gulf Stream’s pro rata share of the cost of increased staffing.”
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