An industry that rushes to emergencies is finding itself facing an emergency of its own.
Agencies across Massachusetts are pushing to find more paramedics and EMTs. During the pandemic, the ambulance industry saw a wave of early retirements and people leaving for jobs in other medical fields.
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"Staffing is our biggest challenge," said Domenic Corey, operations manager for Brewster Ambulance.
The industry has still not recovered.
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"Unfortunately, we have been at a crisis point for a while now," Corey said.
At Brewster Ambulance, staffing can be a daily worry. Brewster has raised wages above the statewide average of $17-$20/hour for EMTs and $22-$26/hour for paramedics.
Brewster is also offering to pay for paramedic school to attract new talent.
"Recruitment is half the battle, but the bigger battle is on the retention front," Corey said.
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Dennis Cataldo, of Cataldo Ambulance, says he sees it too.
"It is pretty dire," Cataldo said. "It is unprecedented -- the lack of qualified staff at this time is something we have never experienced."
In recent days, the industry has worked with the state on reimbursement rates, said Cataldo, who is also head of the Massachusetts Ambulance Association.
"Every little bit of additional revenue allows us to offer a better wage, which hopefully will transition into more people looking at EMS and EMT or paramedic as a viable career path," Cataldo said. "The hope is we will be able to bring in and find new and creative ways to bring more people into the industry."
