Tulsa, OKC City Council Approve New EMSA Plan

Now that city councils in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City have approved a new EMSA plan, it can go into effect.

Tulsans will start seeing the change next week.

Tulsa city council approved the plan two weeks ago, but EMSA needed to wait on Oklahoma City's approval. EMSA says it needed the change due to a nationwide paramedic shortage.

When you call 911 now, an ambulance responds with a paramedic and an EMT inside every truck.

But EMSA says that's a problem when there aren't enough paramedics to go to every call.

Christopher Jenkins, EMSA's Oklahoma Chief of Operations says the solution is adding ambulances staffed by two EMTs for lower-level calls like spider bites and upset stomachs.

"It increases the capacity and capabilities of our EMS system without any cost of safety and clinical care," said Dr. Jeffrey Goodloe, the chief medical officer for Tulsa and OKC EMS.

"All of the background technology is ready to go. And so we'll flip that switch once everybody is ready," Jenkins said.

It's a change a patient is likely not to notice, but they may not have to wait as long for help to arrive.

"We can safely do that with two EMTs and save that paramedic-staffed ambulance for heart-attacks, sudden strokes, serious car collisions, that's the goal here," Goodloe said.

Because EMSA started preparing months ago - more than 70 EMTs between the two cities will finish training within the next two weeks.