“Let’s put our money where our mouth is...”

Maintain and truly expand the advanced life support services performed by AFD Paramedics by using the 1% base pay increase, the Mayor offered for firefighters in the media, to pay for paramedics who are currently assigned to engines and pay for extrication equipment to be placed on all Engines and Rescues. Our system saves lives and keeps Firefighters safe, it’s worth the investment. Approximate cost: 1% is $500,000 and staffing is $450,000 (recurring).

The Fire Chief’s ALS Expansion Plan as initially proposed in City Council resolution (R-13-156) calls for placing a paramedic on all of the 22 Engines in service. However, it does not go into detail on where that paramedic comes from, removing one medic from rescues currently staffed with two is not expanding it is simply diluting paramedic resources in the rescue division.

R-13-156 passed as amended removing any Council influence/endorsement on AFD policy or operational changes including “restructuring of Paramedic functions beyond rescue units.” It simply funded additional EKG/Lifepacks. We are currently meeting and exceeding EMS response times. We should focus on improving patient care and maintain our response times by fully funding this expansion initiative without decreasing resources in the rescue division to facilitate staffing paramedics on the engines.

“The Mayor’s Proposed Raise”

It’s time to have meaningful discussions and negotiations with Fire & City Administration not a high priced privately contracted city negotiator. As we said in the Saturday, March 30, 2013 ABQ Journal article the 1% offered away from the table is not a raise. Restoring the unilateral base pay in its entirety (2.5% contractually approved and currently being litigated) will help with recruitment and retention which are critical to the future of the AFD. We can discuss the “raise” promised in the 2008 contract at a later date. Public safety should be the priority of the budget, period.