“Robbing Peter to pay Paul”: Firefighters sound alarm on EMS staffing issues

PEBAODY – When Peabody firefighters go to a medical call a private ambulance through the Atlantic ambulance company is contracted to come along. Lately, John Brophy, President of the Peabody firefighter’s union says, sometimes, his firefighters are left waiting.

The problem is a nationwide shortage of EMTs and paramedics, playing out in Peabody. Brophy says that means longer wait times for ambulances and more reliance on mutual aid, or ambulances that come from other cities and towns.

“And it becomes this trickledown effect where you’re just robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Brophy said.

Mike Gonynor, the President of the Middleton firefighter’s union says the staffing shortage impacts his department too. Middleton has its own ambulance which is often called to mutual aid calls drawing resources away from home.

“The weekends are what is really hurting us, and I can’t speak for Atlantic Cataldo’s staffing models, but I can guarantee you on any given weekend day we’ll go mutual aid 3 or 4 times a day,” Gonynor said.

Kevin Turner, the Chief Operating Officer of Cataldo, says the company has increased wages by 25 percent over the last two years but emergency services personnel are just burned out. In a normal year, Cataldo would have 450 new hires. Last year, they hired roughly 300.

Brophy says the company should be doing more to keep its employees happy.

“It’s tough. Pay is obviously a big one. Benefits. A better benefit program. A retirement program,” Brophy said.

Turner called some of Brophy’s claims about ambulance availability inaccurate.

Brophy says he is trying to be a voice for his EMS counterparts.

“These guys have been in the streets pre-pandemic, post pandemic, they’ve seen the worst of the worst. They still get on that rig, they go out the door, and they still do these calls,” he said.