South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

MFPD exploring hiring registered nurses to be part of ambulance crews

Fire chief proposing to hire two to four registered nurses
MFPD+exploring+hiring+registered+nurses+to+be+part+of+ambulance+crews

The Mehlville Fire Protection District is looking into placing registered nurses on ambulances.

At the May 24 Board of Directors meeting, Chief Brian Hendricks said that he was interested in exploring the incorporation of registered nurses on the fire district’s ambulances.

“As we continue to push the envelope, as we continue to raise our standard of care … we feel that’s a demographic of potential employees that will enhance our service and really take us to the next level,” Hendricks said.

Hendricks said he was interested in hiring two to four nurses to start, specifically registered nurses with trauma, emergency room and flight experience. Nurses would work 24-hour shifts, 10 days a month.

“It’s kind of out of the box thinking,” Hendricks said, adding that the nurses would not be a replacement for the critical care paramedics or fire medics the district already has.

“This is not a program that is going to replace CCPs. It is not a program that is going to replace fire medics,” Hendricks said. “What I’d like to have, in a perfect world, I’d like to have two to four RNs perhaps, if possible.”

Hendricks said he was not aware of any local fire districts in St. Louis that have incorporated nurses. Some fire districts in Los Angeles and southern Arizona have seen success incorporating registered nurses and nurse practitioners on ambulances.

“This is something not a lot of people have done, so I can’t tell you exactly how it is all going to work,” Hendricks said. “If they’re qualified, if we can find the right person, I really think it brings a lot to the district.”

Director Aaron Hilmer and Director Bonnie Stegman gave the go-ahead to pursue the proposal. Director Ed Ryan was absent.

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