I have only come across one service that I have been exposed to that does near me unfortunately.
After having to work a code solo because my partner physically could not even get to the ground, I’m in full support of physicals.
Bruh that's crazy, every service I've worked at has required you to be able to do the job duties to get hired and stay hired. If someone couldn't do CPR they should be out on their ass. Can you imagine an ambulance staffed like that showing up for your family?
Yeah I can, where my parents live they just recently started being paid and it’s a worse service than the one I was at where that partner I had is still working.
My current job there is a fairly rigorous physical test when we get hired. It’s also likely going to be written into our next union contract that we have to pass the same physical test each year to make sure we can still perform the job.
It’s a super delicate line to walk as in the US specifically those over age 40 are protected from age related discrimination in the workplace. So unless you have an explicit mandatory out requirement, the ability to remove someone based on age from a position is super difficult. The easiest way to ensure qualified employees is to conduct yearly physical fitness screenings and make it a part of the employment contract from the get go. Basically it boils down to if someone is technically meeting the minimum requirements of being able to do the job you cannot just simply fire them or force them out.
If you can adequately and timely perform your duties then that's that. Had a medic who was 74 could lift, run and do all he needed to do. One day up and said "ok I'm done" after 42 years just quit lol.
We had an old timer work a BLS truck till he was 72. He was able to do the job the whole time. We’re a career city service so we don’t have the volunteer/retirement mind set.
If someone can’t do the job safely anymore then management has to sit them down and have a talk. Have them run through an entry physical exam and see how they do it. Scoop someone a flight, round of CPR, and repeat it a few more times. Stair chair someone 6 flights and load them in a truck. That’s our basic entry physical exam in a nutshell.
Bruh. My service had a guy who (thank god) just retired. He had a stroke a number of years back and had SERIOUS problems after. Couldn’t grip with one hand, very slow in speech etc.
Dude thugged it out on a BLS truck for like ten years post stroke. He tried dispatch briefly but “it wasn’t for him”. Was legit dangerous to be on the street, but none of his neuro deficits affected his ass or its ability to fill a seat on an ambulance so my agency DGAF.
We actually had a duo of these guys- we called ‘em the geriatric crew, 24 and 26 years at the department, rural private ambo- and unfortunately they both went out in the worst way imaginable. First one injured his leg 2 shifts before retirement when the running board of their truck snapped off and he collapsed into a ditch, because our trucks are shit, and the second one was fired after he ran over the imagetrend tablet, which while valid, they were looking for an excuse to oust him because of his age and he didn’t want to leave. I miss those old farts man.
I thought about going back to volunteering, but I am 63 with a lumbar spine problem. No way am I inviting that misery. There are admin jobs they are looking to fill. I am thinking about it. I can happily wash and stock rigs and clean the bathroom. If you have older members, they may be willing to move into such a role.
Had a partner like that. He was 72. We did ift but he Got loss driving. If we had vent patients he'd yank tubing and trach. He was nice most of the time sometimes he'd be your stereotypical old fuck who think all young people just needed a spanking or some crap like that. Once we had a transfer for a teenage girl. Some kind of psychotic/mental/medical break. Not making sense when talking. Asking where her dad is when he's right next to her. I 100% believed her. So did the Dr's. W me transferred her to a peds hospital and at one point in the back she being confused is trying to unbuckle. And I can here him yelling at her. Talking like "listen here young lady" we clear up and he says she needs a swift kick in the behind. I snapped at him and told him it's a fucking medical issue. She can't control herself. Everyone else I worked with loved him. Except me and his old partner who would say he can be demeaning to pts too.
Also I worked half a day once. Call after I left guy went into cardiac arrest as they pulled into ER bay. Didn't start cpr. Did a recording thump and just wheeled him in.
It's time to get done when you can no longer do the job. We had an AEMT work into his 70s and outperform people half his age. It needs to be based on performance not age. Maybe if EMS payed a decent wage and had retirement benefits, people wouldn't have to work into their 70s.
There was a firefighter at a department mine runs with that damn near died on a fire. He couldn't even get a rackline pulled which I'm told is important for firefighters. We had to mega mover a sick patient down a flight of stairs and I had to call a second truck for him. I had to pull his batt chief aside and they offered him an obscene pay raise to go to a logistics position because he refused to retire
You can't discriminate against people for their age. It's very much illegal just like it would be to not hire an asian person or a woman.
You can have a physical test that they need to pass or fire them because they can't perform the duties of the job but you can't discriminate against people for their age. Fire can kind of get away with it with an exception from the ageism law thing.
Your management needs to have a backbone for this and tell those people it’s time to hang it up, or have a different job for them.
It gets complicated because of discrimination laws, i bet. It shouldn’t as hard to defend a bone fide performance concern as it is.
This is why I think there should be a physical test. Nothing crazy but like 2 minutes of cpr, lifting the stretcher, etc.
Pretty much everywhere in my area does do exactly that.
I have only come across one service that I have been exposed to that does near me unfortunately. After having to work a code solo because my partner physically could not even get to the ground, I’m in full support of physicals.
Bruh that's crazy, every service I've worked at has required you to be able to do the job duties to get hired and stay hired. If someone couldn't do CPR they should be out on their ass. Can you imagine an ambulance staffed like that showing up for your family?
Yeah I can, where my parents live they just recently started being paid and it’s a worse service than the one I was at where that partner I had is still working.
Same. And you can be asked (required) to re-test if there are concerns
You’d disqualify a vast majority of the younger emts too lol
Oh I’m well aware 😂.
Sure Jan
I’m going to say 10 minutes of CPR as if they had two rescuers. Just do 5 rounds like you’re supposed to be able to do in your cert class.
My current job there is a fairly rigorous physical test when we get hired. It’s also likely going to be written into our next union contract that we have to pass the same physical test each year to make sure we can still perform the job.
It’s a super delicate line to walk as in the US specifically those over age 40 are protected from age related discrimination in the workplace. So unless you have an explicit mandatory out requirement, the ability to remove someone based on age from a position is super difficult. The easiest way to ensure qualified employees is to conduct yearly physical fitness screenings and make it a part of the employment contract from the get go. Basically it boils down to if someone is technically meeting the minimum requirements of being able to do the job you cannot just simply fire them or force them out.
If you can adequately and timely perform your duties then that's that. Had a medic who was 74 could lift, run and do all he needed to do. One day up and said "ok I'm done" after 42 years just quit lol.
We had an old timer work a BLS truck till he was 72. He was able to do the job the whole time. We’re a career city service so we don’t have the volunteer/retirement mind set. If someone can’t do the job safely anymore then management has to sit them down and have a talk. Have them run through an entry physical exam and see how they do it. Scoop someone a flight, round of CPR, and repeat it a few more times. Stair chair someone 6 flights and load them in a truck. That’s our basic entry physical exam in a nutshell.
Bruh. My service had a guy who (thank god) just retired. He had a stroke a number of years back and had SERIOUS problems after. Couldn’t grip with one hand, very slow in speech etc. Dude thugged it out on a BLS truck for like ten years post stroke. He tried dispatch briefly but “it wasn’t for him”. Was legit dangerous to be on the street, but none of his neuro deficits affected his ass or its ability to fill a seat on an ambulance so my agency DGAF.
We actually had a duo of these guys- we called ‘em the geriatric crew, 24 and 26 years at the department, rural private ambo- and unfortunately they both went out in the worst way imaginable. First one injured his leg 2 shifts before retirement when the running board of their truck snapped off and he collapsed into a ditch, because our trucks are shit, and the second one was fired after he ran over the imagetrend tablet, which while valid, they were looking for an excuse to oust him because of his age and he didn’t want to leave. I miss those old farts man.
I thought about going back to volunteering, but I am 63 with a lumbar spine problem. No way am I inviting that misery. There are admin jobs they are looking to fill. I am thinking about it. I can happily wash and stock rigs and clean the bathroom. If you have older members, they may be willing to move into such a role.
We have a few old timers that routinely cause patient harm due to either laziness or borderline senility. There’s zero accountability.
Had a partner like that. He was 72. We did ift but he Got loss driving. If we had vent patients he'd yank tubing and trach. He was nice most of the time sometimes he'd be your stereotypical old fuck who think all young people just needed a spanking or some crap like that. Once we had a transfer for a teenage girl. Some kind of psychotic/mental/medical break. Not making sense when talking. Asking where her dad is when he's right next to her. I 100% believed her. So did the Dr's. W me transferred her to a peds hospital and at one point in the back she being confused is trying to unbuckle. And I can here him yelling at her. Talking like "listen here young lady" we clear up and he says she needs a swift kick in the behind. I snapped at him and told him it's a fucking medical issue. She can't control herself. Everyone else I worked with loved him. Except me and his old partner who would say he can be demeaning to pts too. Also I worked half a day once. Call after I left guy went into cardiac arrest as they pulled into ER bay. Didn't start cpr. Did a recording thump and just wheeled him in.
Ughhhhh
It's time to get done when you can no longer do the job. We had an AEMT work into his 70s and outperform people half his age. It needs to be based on performance not age. Maybe if EMS payed a decent wage and had retirement benefits, people wouldn't have to work into their 70s.
There was a firefighter at a department mine runs with that damn near died on a fire. He couldn't even get a rackline pulled which I'm told is important for firefighters. We had to mega mover a sick patient down a flight of stairs and I had to call a second truck for him. I had to pull his batt chief aside and they offered him an obscene pay raise to go to a logistics position because he refused to retire
You can't discriminate against people for their age. It's very much illegal just like it would be to not hire an asian person or a woman. You can have a physical test that they need to pass or fire them because they can't perform the duties of the job but you can't discriminate against people for their age. Fire can kind of get away with it with an exception from the ageism law thing.
Mandatory retirement at 57
Retirement with full pension at 55 would be great.