EMSA Experiencing Personnel Shortages Due To Pandemic

Several Emergency medical organizations are facing an uphill battle with staffing shortages.

EMSA, just like other first responder organizations, says even though they can still operate fine, the shortages caused by the pandemic have made workers hope for the best, but expect the worst.

"We're not going to assume that things are going to get better," EMSA spokesperson Adam Paluka said. "There have been so many times where we thought that we were close to kind of things getting back to normal."

Adam Paluka with EMSA says they have been struggling with E-M-T and paramedic shortages partly because the pandemic made it difficult to train new employees.

Right now EMSA is without at least 20 paramedics and had 1,500 fewer people take the registration test in 2020.

Paluka says with the pandemic causing people to stay home, it made training new employees almost impossible.

"EMS is a career where you need that practical, hands-on education with an instructor in the classroom, learning the various aspects of the job," Paluka said. "Well, you can't do that virtually."

Paluka says EMSA has been reaching out to applicants from out of state along with doing a lot more digital recruiting.

He says anyone who applies to be a paramedic now won't be able to start working until March because of all the training that's needed.

But he also says he'd rather take it slow and steady and maintain those standards than have unprepared workers.

"We're not going to sacrifice the training and the vetting of these folks just because we are in a staffing crunch," Paluka said. "I want everybody to know we are not cutting corners. We're making sure that every EMT and paramedic is well trained and ready for the job."

Paluka says EMSA is offering several incentives such as a $20,000 signing bonus for paramedics.