BALTIMORE — Beginning next month, changes are coming to the Baltimore Fire Department's emergency response.
In July, the department will downgrade four Advanced Life Support Units (ALS) to Basic Life Support Units (BLS) prompting the Baltimore IAFF Local 734 chapter to sound the alarm.
"We're strained as it is and our paramedics will be working harder to take those cause those runs don't stop," Local IAFF 734 President Matthew Coster said.
WATCH: Baltimore Fire downgrading some EMS units
ALS units typically handle the most serious emergencies, like cardiac arrests and gunshot wounds. 17 units will remain after the change.
Baltimore has one of the highest call volumes in the state of Maryland.
"Are you concerned that lives are at risk with this change?" WMAR-2 News' Blair Sabol asked.
"Always whenever we have when we don't have the units in service, I'm always concerned that, you know, lives are at risk" Coster replied.
The downgrades are a data-drive initiative that's been in the works for more than a year now as part of a broader phased strategy for the department to balance demands and ongoing limitations.
"ALS have paramedics on them, and these folks tend to have a higher training but we don't have enough, and so what ends up happening is we have to backfill those positions with overtime.incredibly expensive," District 4 councilman and chari of the public safety committee Mark Conway said.
In fact, last year the highest paid city employee was a paramedic David Lunsford, who grossed $358,586.44, more than half was earned through overtime.
There are currently about 40 paramedic vacancies within the department, and 20 EMTs.
The shortages are hardly a unique problem to Baltimore, agencies across the U.S. are experiencing similar issues.
See statement below from Baltimore City Fire:
"This recent transition is part of a broader, phased strategy designed to address staffing pressures, rising overtime levels, and the changing landscape of emergency medical care. This shift continues BCFD’s ongoing effort to modernize operations and balance system demands. Moreover, we are currently evaluating a pilot program that dispatches and better positions ALS providers where they are needed most."
In relation to the high call volume, the department also has a telemedicine initiative to connect "low-acuity 911 callers" with virtual consultations and will soon launch nurse diversion programs to help "divert better route non-urgent cases" to other healthcare alternatives.
The fire union is also concerned about the city's budget of $5.2 million for private EMS contractors.
Conway calls it a "band-aid" solution.
"Contractors it's helpful. Is it a long term solution? Of course not," he said. "We need to be thinking about how we close those gaps and we support our fire department and give them the internal trainees, the internal paramedics to do the job"
The fire department is also planning to launch a recruitment campaign in the coming weeks.
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