Thirteen on-call responders have resigned from the ranks of the Cape Elizabeth Fire-Rescue Department in the last three months, leaving only a handful of available personnel to handle emergency rescue calls at night.

“It’s getting to the point where – between the added number of calls and declining number of responders – we need to make some changes,” Fire-Rescue Chief Peter Gleeson said. “The calls are going up, but the number of people we have is going down.”

Gleeson said the loss has not had an immediate impact on the department, which is staffed with per-diem employees only. As a way to cope with diminished staffing, he has devised a plan that would put an EMT and a paramedic on night duty at the fire station, rather than having the first responders on call.

During a Town Council workshop on Monday, Gleeson proposed a plan that calls for two staff members to be at the station at all times. He wants to have 24-hour paramedic coverage, rather than 16 hours, as is the case now. The plan calls for adding a full-time EMT to work 10 p.m.-6 a.m. at an hourly rate rather than a stipend.

The department now relies on a small group of responders, who are primarily retirees, to perform night duty, Gleeson said.

He said adding eight hours of paramedic coverage a day would cost about $66,000. The proposal would also require additional administrative support to schedule personnel and order EMS supplies and equipment, among other office duties, which is estimated at about $10,000 a year.

Gleeson said he is also proposing that two sleeping quarters be created in the Town Center Station on Jordan Way, estimated to cost $25,000. This would allow a paramedic and an EMT to sleep at the station during their assigned night shift. The change would ensure dedicated nighttime staffing and reduce the burden on volunteers with daytime obligations, Gleeson said.

“This is not a full-time department, so the station is not set up right now to have people living in it overnight,” he said.

“We are trying to be proactive and make sure that coverage is there,” he added. “Every year we have more calls than we did the last year. When you have a declining number of responders, more of the burden is being shouldered by fewer people.”

The department’s staffing concerns seem to be gaining some traction at Town Hall.

“My sense is when you hear a report like this from the fire department and the rescue chiefs, and they are really worried about responding to calls, I think we have a responsibility for public safety,” said Town Manager Michael McGovern during the meeting Monday. “My proposal would be to put this on the November agenda to approve the hiring and begin the coverage as soon as practicable.”

Town councilors agreed to discuss the department’s request further during their November council meeting.

Lt. Paramedic Ernie MacVane, who supervises Cape’s per-diem paramedic program, told the Current that instead of one paramedic or advanced EMT being on call during peak hours, which is the current system, the 24-hour shift would be divided among several per-diem paramedics, which would ensure adequate overnight coverage.

“It will help me personally because I will be able to more adequately schedule my night (shifts), which will allow me to spend more time with my family,” MacVane said. “At the same time, it extends paramedic coverage into the evening hours, which is a huge benefit for the town.”

According to Gleeson, the department has never failed to respond to a call, but many Cape Elizabeth patients are being transported by ambulance with only one emergency medical services provider, in addition to a driver who is not medically licensed.

“Paramedics are great, but they can’t treat patients and drive the ambulance at the same time,” said MacVane, who lives in South Portland and is a police officer for the Windham Police Department.

“By adding that additional driver, what we are doing is guaranteeing that the paramedic has the minimum staff needed to treat the patient and get to the hospital,” he said.

Of the proposed program, MacVane said, “It’s a win-win, because it’s basically ensuring an initial level of coverage for the town for 24 hours. It takes the guesswork about what’s going to happen after 10 p.m. right out of the equation. ”

“It’s going to make us a stronger provider during (evening) hours,” he said.

Gleeson said that while only a small percentage of the calls happen at night, the department’s requirement for per-diem personnel to cover a night shift has started to take a physical and mental toll on those with families or other jobs. According to Gleeson, a majority of the people who recently left the department could no longer fulfill night duty due to other commitments the next day.

While daytime staff typically respond to calls within five to six minutes, it takes nighttime volunteers about double the time to respond, he said. Maintaining volunteers can also be challenging due to the amount of training that is required – about 160 hours – to become an entry-level EMT.

Eric Wellman, chief of the EMS Division for the department, conducted exit interviews with 11 of the members who resigned, and many of them said they were leaving the department because they wanted to spend more time with their families, were starting new jobs, or couldn’t keep up with licensing requirements.

“You don’t get a lot of people who want to go to school for two years to become a volunteer paramedic,” said Gleeson.

“We will do our best to make sure there is EMS coverage 24/7,” Gleeson said.

Lt. Ernie MacVane, a paramedic for the Cape Elizabeth Fire-Rescue Department, is one of five dedicated on-call responders with the department. Thirteen on-call responders have quit in the last three months.Staff photo by Kayla J. CollinsMembers of the Cape Elizabeth Fire-Rescue Department, from left, Eric Wellman, chief of the EMS Division; Ernie MacVane, lieutenant paramedic; and Fire Chief Peter Gleeson, at the Town Center Fire Station.Staff photos by Kayla J. CollinsEric Wellman, chief of the EMS Division at the Cape Elizabeth Fire-Rescue.

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