Kansas City-area fire departments offer incentives to address paramedic shortage

FORWARD.A JOB INSIDE A FIRESTATION IS TOUGH WORK -AND DEPARTMENTSACROSS THE METRO AREHAVING A TOUGH TIMEFILLING OPEN POSITIONSFOR PARAMEDICS.KSHB 41 NEWS ANCHORBRYANT MADDRICKEXPLAINS HOW THEREY'WORKG INTO GET MOREAPPLICANTS - AND HOW ALACK OF PARAMEDICSMAKES AN IMPACT.BEING A PARAMEDIC IS ATOUGH JOB.You can be in all kinds ofweathesir tuations, there's alot of manual, physical labor toit and then the fire basedEMS, you got to do both, fireand EMS."AND NOT ENOUGH PEOE PLARE SIGNING UP.THE REASON WHY?

OTHERCAREER OPPORTUNITIES -PLUS FIERCECOMPETITION AMONGFIRE/EMS DEPARTMENTS.THE END RESULT -GLADSTONE'S FIREDEPARTMENT IS DOWNFIVE PARAMEDICPOSITIONS."We feel that significantly.We're hoping to get thosepositions covered fairlyquickly.""Chief Rulon says it's not justa Gladstone problem when itcomes to recruitg inparamedics.

It's all over theplace, including here atKansas City Fire Department.""It's a very high demand, d ana very low supply right now."KCFD DEPUTY CHIEF JOHNBAKER ESTIMATES THEDEPARTMENT WILL BEDOWN AROUND 5 TO 10PARAMEDICS.AN IMPACT HE SAYS THEPUBLIC WON'T FEEL."The biggest impact wisitn hiour own system that we haveand the people that we haveworking here are workingextra hours, overtime shiftsetc.

Trying to fill the stafngfineed" s.NOW DEPARTMENTS AREGETTING CREATIVE TO GETPEOPLE TO APY.PLwe'll accept applications fromeven out of state residents totry and get more applicantsin."BUT BAKER ADDSPARAMEDIC IS THE ONLYPOSITION IN THE AGENCYWHERE PEOPLE WHO LIVEOUTSIDE THE CITY AREALLOWED TO APPLY.IF HIRED - THEY HAVE TOMOVE WITHIN CITY LIMITSWITHIN NINE MONTHS OFBEING ON THE JOB.THERE'S ALSO PROGRAMSLIKE A PARTNERSHIP WITHUMKC SCHOOL OFMEDICINE TO TRAINFUTURE PARAMEDICS.CURRENT EMPLOYEES CANGET THEIR CLASSES PAIDFOR.GLADSTONE IS ALSOSWEETENINGHE T POT."In Gladstone, if you have yourparamedic license anyod u'rehired, wlle' pay you up to$4,000 just for having thatcertificate, that license.

We'llalso put you through, if youe 'rin the paramedic program andyou're in your field clinicals,we'll pay you to finish thoseclicinals ou"you're in your field clinicals,we'll pay you to finish thoseclinicals out."IN GLADSTONE - I'MBRYANT MADDRICK