First responders celebrate EMS week, deal with worker shortages, burnout
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — First responders are celebrating triumphs during EMS week, while continuing to deal with surges in burnout and a worker shortage. It is something that really picked up during the COVID era.
EMS shortages are hitting departments are all across the country, and our region is no stranger to that trend. A state report from 2023 shows 18 percent of Virginia’s localities couldn’t meet state standards on EMS staffing — while calls for EMS and fire services grew by almost 40 percent in the previous two years.
10 On Your Side spoke with Stephen Pincus, EMS Planner and Emergency Management Coordinator for the Peninsulas EMS Council.
“What a lot of people take for granted is that when they call 911, they want an ambulance to come with highly trained people and they think that it just happens,” Pincus said. “Well, there’s tens of thousands of hours of hard work and training that go into play here. And it takes a dedicated person who is passionate towards serving others. It takes a really special person to do this kind of work.”
Pincus told me about a lot of work is being done locally to boost mental health resources for our EMS workers and efforts to give them time to decompress after tough calls. They are exposed to a variety of grueling situations on the job, especially as some parts of Hampton Roads report an increase in shootings and other types of emergency calls.
While statewide efforts have boosted pay for EMS workers since COVID, Hampton Roads still has the unique issue of some departments paying more than their neighbors. On top of the other tough aspects of the job, that makes it tough to recruit workers in places that pay less.
“So that’s an element that also comes into play. But really, for the most part, people don’t get into this profession for the pay that they receive,” he said. “They do it because they have the passion to serve.”
Having worked in the field for more than 30 years, Pincus says the work can still be extremely rewarding.
“To know that you’ve done some of those interventions that help people out at their very worst moments in their lives,” Pincus said. “They’re looking to you to be the calm in their storm to do those interventions.”
For EMS week, they’re recognizing and honoring many of the regions workers, and there are 53 nominees for the regional awards.
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