‘One-Plus-One’ Paramedic Response

Re “Working to Get Patients’ Wait Down,” Valley Perspective, Feb. 6.

Who are they trying to fool? Los Angeles Fire Chief Bill Bamattre’s “one-plus-one” plan as laid out by Fire Department Medical Director Marc Eckstein just doesn’t add up for [San Fernando] Valley residents. Their plan to staff fire department ambulances with only one paramedic is dangerous and unworkable. People will die.

Eckstein states that his proposal has medical merit. This is not true. Paramedics perform increasingly complex tasks in the most challenging of environments. Requiring them to do this alone would be like having a doctor perform surgery without the benefit of an assisting surgeon. Both paramedics and doctors need a second pair of eyes and hands to ensure that their patients are getting the best treatment at all times.

The two most puzzling things about Eckstein’s argument in favor of one-plus-one are his statements that “No one would disagree that having two paramedics working together is better than one paramedic with one EMT,” and “we most certainly do need more ambulances in Los Angeles.”

I couldn’t have said it better. With almost 5 million daytime residents in L.A., only 56 paramedic ambulances have proven time and again to be too few. The residents of the Valley and the entire city need and deserve more ambulances and more paramedics. The fire chief’s one-plus-one plan is a dilution of services, not an improvement. Does one-plus-one really save lives, or just money?

ROBERT WAGNER

Sherman Oaks