Private Paramedics

I would like to respond to Mr. Reardon’s comments (Letters, Feb. 19) regarding private company paramedics.

I have been in the emergency medical field for six years. I am currently working for a private company in Los Angeles County as a paramedic. Being a paramedic has been a childhood dream come true. When I went to paramedic school, I was unable to work due to the busy six-month, 40-hour-week schedule. My wife’s income was not meeting our needs, so we took out a rather large loan to help pay paramedic school tuition. Not one tax dollar was spent on my education.

If that does not demonstrate care, compassion and loyalty to patients, I do not know what does. When a private company paramedic comes to work every day, his primary focus is providing quality emergency medical care to the public. We are not distracted by complex and lengthy building fire inspections or fire prevention programs. As private paramedics, all of our efforts every day are placed in providing the best emergency medical service.

Additionally, when a fire department sends a firefighter to paramedic school, tax dollars are paying school tuition ($3,000), six months of the firefighter’s salary while attending school ($25,000, approximately) and overtime to fill the firefighter’s slot while in school ($35,000 to $40,000, approximately). Private companies are not subsidized by city tax dollars. There are no subscription costs. If the public should require our services, the insurance company is billed to include Medi-Cal.

My response is not meant to question the firefighter/paramedics’ skills or compassion; it is more to provide the public with information about the private paramedic. And the facts are the private sector can provide an excellent level of care in a more cost-effective manner.

ADAM BERGER

Santa Ana