By Kathleen Kreller
The Idaho Statesman
Copyright 2007 The Idaho Statesman
The Idaho Statesman (Boise)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune

BOISE — The Boise Fire Department is expanding its year-old firefighter paramedic program to provide quicker advanced life support in some areas of the city.

Boise Fire launched a pilot firefighter/paramedic program to quickly get personnel with advanced life support skills to help sick or injured residents, said Deputy Fire Chief Dave Hanneman.

The paramedics were added to engine companies in areas with the slowest Ada County ambulance response, Hanneman said.

The city will add six new paramedic/firefighters, bringing the total to 18, he said.

The paramedics are located in four stations right now. Rather than allocating new funds for hiring, Hanneman said the city hired the paramedics through attrition.

When a firefighter retires or quits, that money is used to bring paramedics on board and train them as firefighters, he said.

"Some of our guys say we subsidize the county," Hanneman said. "But our chief's position is (that) those patients are our citizens."

Expanding the paramedic program also helps the city meet national standards for emergency response.

The national standard calls for advanced life support services on scene within eight minutes of a call.

On the outskirts of Boise, Hanneman said, that standard sometimes is missed. Strategically placing paramedics on Boise fire trucks gets advanced support on scene faster, he said.

The expanded program comes even as the city opposes an Ada County-wide ambulance ordinance passed in December.

Ada County's new rules standardize 911 ambulance services countywide, including those operated by fire districts or cities. 

The county's ordinance went into effect Jan. 1, but was legally challenged by Kuna.

The ordinance also requires all paramedics to be licensed by Ada County, a move cities say is unnecessary and prohibited by state statute.

Now, Ada County and Kuna have asked a judge to decide if the changes are legal.

It's unclear if other Ada County cities, namely Meridian and Boise, will join in the case.

On Jan. 25, Boise Mayor Dave Bieter sent a letter to Fred Tilman, chairman of the Ada County Board of Commissioners. The letter asked Commissioners to repeal the ordinance.

"The ordinance sweeps well beyond ambulance service and into areas of paramedicine," he wrote.

"Boise does have statutory authority to operate its own ambulance service within the city limits when I determine that doing so makes fiscal and business sense," Bieter stated.

Ada County did not respond to the letter, rather commissioners are waiting for the outcome of the court's declaratory judgement, said Ada County spokesman Rich Wright.