An even better way to deliver EMS?

It's surprising, at first, to hear that local fire departments respond to more medical calls for service than they do fires.

And in a time when every penny counts, it's OK to question whether fire agencies - which already have staff with at least basic emergency medical training - shouldn't just follow Hiawatha's example and take over Emergency Medical Service calls entirely.

Many cities in the state and across the country have found fire department-based EMS to be an efficient, effective way to respond to medical emergencies. Wouldn't that be true for other Corridor cities, as well? It's worth a look.

If such an approach can help local governments provide excellent emergency medical services in a timely manner, while also producing cost savings/cost control for taxpayers and patients, then city leaders should pursue the option.

Of course, they'll have to also keep in mind the fact that some private businesses would be affected - there are a lot of factors to consider.

Under the tiered-response protocols used throughout much of the Corridor, fire departments often arrive at the scene of a medical emergency before ambulances do. They offer immediate assistance on scene. Cedar Rapids Fire already employs several trained paramedics who can do everything but transport a patient to the hospital.

Emergency medical care has increasingly become a part of local fire departments' work, making up nearly 60 percent of the Cedar Rapids Fire Department's calls in the last fiscal year. For the Iowa City Fire Department, that number was 55 percent.

Those numbers are in line with national trends. Maybe that's one reason fire service-based EMS services are becoming more common.

Besides the fact that their agency already is responding, fire stations are scattered throughout a city, enabling faster response times in many cases.

Fire service-based EMS also gives departments a larger pool of dual-trained staff, who can help deal with unpredictable workloads, Iowa City Fire Chief Andrew Rocca told us.

“It's something we've evaluated over the years,” he said. “But while, internally we think there's some merit to it, I don't think it's gotten much external attention.”

Cedar Rapids Fire Chief Steve Havlik told us this week his department has talked about fire service-based EMS, too; consultants have come in to look at the pros and cons.

One drawback, Havlik said, is initial startup costs - money needed to buy equipment and hire staff, and to make sure facilities are properly able to accommodate both. There are other unknowns, Havlik said, such as insurance reimbursements.

Both chiefs stressed that ambulance services do a fine job.

But can it be done even better, more efficiently? Local leaders should look into the possibilities.