That's a command issue, not a too many people issue. The person with command on scene should have assigned the personnel to avoid exactly what you describe.
Larry, I was with you at first. It does seem like a lot of people, even if we use the lower number that other people counted. And I agree that there is often un-necessary outrage on this forum if you ask questions about fire/EMS/cops. And that's just for the honest questions, not even actual criticism.
On the other hand, you've been presented with a number of reasonable scenarios that explain the large response, yet you are choosing to go down in flames rather than bail out. Almost any activity is more complicated than it looks. Why do you bother hiring employees? All you're doing is just putting seeds in dirt and watering them, right? You should be able to handle that yourself. Hell, you've even got the fancy machine that does the potting for you. Sounds like you've hired too many people.
Fine. It HAS to be the proper number because they wouldn't all be there if it were not the correct number.
First off, it's soil. Not dirt. Second, it's interesting you would make your first comment, about how you can't say a word about EMS and how silly that is and then you step right in their with them and, lastly, there's been no 'reasonable' scenario; only 'reasons' why 20-30 people is appropriate to this incident. Are you seriously suggesting EMS and small business are analogous? Seriously?
Fine. It HAS to be the proper number because they wouldn't all be there if it were not the correct number.
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I didn't "step right in" with anybody. I think that it's a good thing to question public servants, and even criticize if necessary. I did not bash you for asking the initial question - I agreed with you that it seemed like a large response. But I do think that you are lumping the "OMG!!!! EMS hater!!" knee-jerk responses in with those who provided you with (IMO, reasonable) examples of why there might be so many people/equipment showing up for a MC accident. Some people seemed to think you're just bashing EMS; others just tried to give you some first-hand info.
As for EMS vs. small business, I was just making the point that sometimes there are things going on behind the scenes that a casual observer won't be aware of. I'm quite certain your business involves more than soil & water, but I wouldn't know what they are unless you told me. (No, that was not a request
I don't think that at all. This area has a wonderful EMS system. Have you ever once heard of an emergency in this tri-county area where there wasn't enough man power? We aren't talking World Trade Center Disaster, they didn't even have enough man power for that. We are talking typical house fire, building fire, accident incident. If we don't have enough man power in the tri-county area, they'll call out the next county. Many times our county volunteers fill in for other paid counties.
You are a real pain in the azz, you know that? Like a dingle berry I can't scrape off. Chaps my azz.
Wait. So, is it possible to have too many EMS people on a scene? Is that what we're saying?
The ONLY reason this got started was because my initial reaction at seeing over 20 some odd people IN ONE picture was 'Wow. That makes no sense to me." and all I got was everything BUT interest that maybe, just maybe, some improvements are needed. I got reasons WHY there were so many. I got reasons that the number was just right. I got reasons it may well have not been enough. I got real world reasons that too many is bed (victim getting stepped on) is a command, not numbers, problem.
I got nothing discussing a more efficient use and allocation of resources.
You mention my business and this is why I reacted the way I did; every single day we look at how many people we have, what do we need, how to balance needs, the unpredictable nature of the thing, equipment, rent, buy, part time, full time, no one knows more than a small business person how challenging this is.
A leader in our industry promoted some time back the concept of fact based conversations so as to avoid the kind of useless, pithy comments that sometimes get in the way of things working better.
If, in fact, 20-30 people is proper allocation and use of resources, so be it. To me, it struck me as absurd.
And, once again, thank you to everyone who does EMS work. Desire for efficiency and good allocation of resources is not opposition to you. It is, frankly, support for you.
There you go, Larry, problem solved!
