To think firemen should be trained up as paramedics

[LunchpackOfNotreDame]

There is a shortfall in paramedics, and fire services are now leaning more toward prevention and road traffic accident work.

Would it make sense, as they're often first responders, to train fire officers up as paramedics?

Well if you are going to properly train them up with a view to paying them the wage of a Firefighter AND a Paramedic, YANBU.

If you are suggesting the Firefighters are burdened with yet more responsibility on an already thinly spread service in order to make unachievable cuts to another thinly spread service (why does your OP not suggest a recruitment drive for more Paramedics?) with the expectation of paying them nothing more for performing many more tasks above and beyond their role as is the current aim of ridiculously paid management types who've not so much as blown a match out let alone fought a fire those further up the foodchain, YABVU.

I was joking Mamma, was actually reading the thread with interest. If you wanted a personal opinion I think that aside from knowing first aid (which I'm sure they do) it's not appropriate for them to also take on a whole other profession. I'd rather they focused their training and expertise on putting out fires.

There's a shortage of ambulances because...

Cinderella services, underfunded, over-stretched, under researched what actually works.

each one costs £400k

Vehicles get stuck outside A&E waiting for their patients to be let in (hospital doesn't want the 4 hour clock to start)

Ppl call ambulances and then follow the ambulance to hospital in their own car. Often they could have safely driven their loved one to hospital themselves.

Some people are cared for in community who really need to be in nursing homes, but there's a shortage of beds (& staff) there too. So they call ambulance for daily medical care.

Paramedics are told loads of rules where they can take patients, and often the only place they are allowed to take pt is to A&E (see waiting hassle above) rather than direct to nursing homes/admission into hospital wards.