stuck in saturated emergencies, Lyon firefighters sound the alarm

Le Figaro Lyon

The waiting time in the emergency room at Édouard-Herriot hospital forces many fire ambulances to wait in their truck with their patient, while the latter is taken care of. A situation that has been denounced for several months by firefighters and which does not really seem to be improving. “Our staff regularly have to wait an hour or even an hour and a half to monitor patients. We had up to 18 firefighters on site. 18 firefighters, that’s three fire vans which will not leave to do the core business”denounces Rémy Chabbouh, SUD-SDMIS general secretary.

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A meeting between HCL, firefighters and paramedics

For the latter, the triage score, which evaluates patient situations to define the order of priority, is not always respected. “This score means that the notion of order of arrival is not really taken into account. Which makes sense. But at the same level of emergency, firefighters should have priority, over ambulance drivers for example, since they do not have a public service function. We understand that they want to come first for the sake of profitability, but that’s not really our problem.”continues the unionist.

Contacted, the Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL) indicate that a meeting took place on Tuesday with representatives of the Departmental and Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Service (SDMIS) and private ambulance drivers. “The HCLs work and discuss on a daily basis with the SDMIS within the framework of the regulation and management of health emergencies, to guarantee that everyone assumes their missions (SAMU orientation, transport, admission to hospital) as best as possible. conditions that exist. In this context, particular attention is paid to the smooth access of fire ambulances to emergency services on all HCL sites.they indicate.

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Interventions transferred to paramedics

For Lyon hospitals, “during busy days in the emergency room, waiting times for admission may be observed, which are always subject to adaptation measures to improve the situation.” During Tuesday’s meeting, the HCL indicated that they wanted to transfer 25,000 to 30,000 interventions, currently carried out by firefighters, to private ambulances. “It’s positive because we are calibrated for 90,000 interventions per year and currently we carry out 140,000. But it’s not going to fundamentally change the waiting time in the emergency room.”concludes Rémy Chabbouh.

In Bordeaux, faced with waiting times that can exceed 6 hours, medical dispensary-style tents were installed in 2022 to accommodate patients and allow firefighters to leave the hospital.