By John Penney
The Day, New London
NEW LONDON, Conn. 鈥� Since 2010, the city鈥檚 fire department has been increasingly inundated with emergency calls, creating a strain on the medical side of its work and prompting officials to reassess how resources and staffing are allocated.
In 2010, firefighters and EMTs responded to 6,873 calls for service, a mix of fire, medical and other emergencies. Last year, crews handled 8,142 calls, an 18% jump from 14 years ago 鈥� all with shift staffing levels that have remained nearly the same.
鈥淭hat increase is almost entirely due to EMS responses across the spectrum of need,鈥� Chief Vernon Skau said on Wednesday. 鈥淭he number of fires each year has stayed relatively the same.鈥�
The increase in medical calls, largely handled by the department鈥檚 two ambulances, has led to an 鈥渋mbalance between call volume and staffing levels (that) highlights the need for a reassessment of resources to ensure EMS can continue to meet the needs of city effectively,鈥� Skau wrote in a recently published 2024 annual report.
Heart attacks, overdoses and overlapping calls
The exact number and type of medical calls responded to last year were not immediately available, though the report stated the department responded to 228 cardiac arrests last year.
The annual report also noted a slight increase in drug overdose cases last year 鈥� 159 compared to 147 in 2023 鈥� but also an overall continued decrease in such calls from the 288 overdose calls in 2015.
The department in 2024 responded to 31 working fires and provided mutual aid 38 times to Waterford, Groton, Montville and East Lyme.
The department operates on a three-shift schedule with 12 cross-trained firefighter/ EMTs, three lieutenants and a battalion chief on the clock each morning, afternoon and overnight shift. The department鈥檚 two ambulances, each with a crew of two, is backed up by a rarely used reserve ambulance.
Skau said call volume varies by day and time 鈥� Fridays tend to be the busiest for non-medical calls 鈥� with some of the highest responses coming during the day.
But since emergencies don鈥檛 occur in a tidy fashion, calls frequently overlap.
鈥淭he number of simultaneous emergencies, where two or more are happening at the same time, in a year are staggering 鈥� We had more than 6,000 simultaneous emergencies last year, Skau said, adding there were four days in 2024 when five emergencies occurred at the same time. All that that means is we need to start having conversations about what is the future of the New London Fire Department .鈥�
New revenue and patient info tools
Skau said the solution isn鈥檛 as simple as fielding more ambulances around the clock.
鈥淭hat would mean using a lot more taxpayer money,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are exploring staffing a third ambulance incrementally at times it鈥檚 most needed or shifting staff during the times we expect more calls to come in.鈥�
The department has made some changes to how it collects ambulance fees, which are later funneled into the city鈥檚 general fund, and how EMTs collect patient data.
鈥淟ast year, we collected just over $2 million in revenue from insurance companies, but there鈥檚 areas we鈥檙e looking at to improve our collections,鈥� Skau said.
One way is through a new hospital interface system that allows EMTs to check patient鈥檚 billing information, including Medicaid and Medicare data, after they鈥檝e been treated.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not always a lot of time during transport to get accurate billing information,鈥� Skau said. 鈥淣ow, we can get the correct billing information and submit it.鈥�
Some EMTs have also begun using a driver鈥檚 license identification scanning unit to collect basic patient information including addresses.
鈥淭hat allows the EMT to focus on patient care and not on documentation,鈥� Skau said.
Skau said he鈥檚 still poring over the call data ahead of coming up with overhaul recommendations he鈥檒l bring to Mayor Michael Passero.
鈥淎ll options are on the table,鈥� Passero said. 鈥淚 do commend the chief for exploring creative solutions to meet the increased demand.鈥�
Passero said Gov. Ned Lamont鈥檚 biennial budget proposal, which slashes state aid to New London by more than $2 million, won鈥檛 allow the city to increase the department鈥檚 budget.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at level-funding the Board of Education and cutting the general government side this year since raising taxes isn鈥檛 an option,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd on top of that, we just learned the governor is proposing to reduce the amount of Medicaid reimbursements for those patients transported by EMS. So that鈥檚 more money we could be losing.鈥�
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