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Laramie Fire paramedic warns commissioners layoffs could reduce advanced prehospital care
Summary
A Laramie Fire Department paramedic told the commission impending layoffs of five non‑fire paramedics after contract disagreements with Ivinson Memorial Hospital could reduce advanced life‑saving care available locally and warned of potential deaths if staffing declines.
Jordan Hayes, a paramedic who said he has been part of Laramie’s non‑fire paramedic program, gave a detailed public comment describing how five non‑fire paramedics handled roughly half of the department’s medical calls and provided advanced critical-care interventions.
Hayes said a breakdown in the hospital’s contract for inter‑facility transports between Ivinson Memorial Hospital and the Laramie Fire Department has contributed to an uncertain financial picture and the possibility of laying off the five non‑fire paramedics. He described a recent case in January when paramedic‑level care was credited with moving a critically ill infant by ground to Denver Children’s Hospital when air transport was unavailable.
Hayes warned commissioners that losing experienced paramedics would reduce the level of care available for complex pediatric and critically ill patients and said the long‑term training costs to produce firefighter‑paramedics would be considerably higher and could exacerbate staffing losses. He said the change would not be a last‑ditch plea for his job but rather a public warning that the level of prehospital care could decline if staffing losses proceed.
The comment was made during the public-comment period; commissioners did not take action on the topic at the meeting and several speakers indicated they planned to take related concerns to the city council.
