Medics are at home now at the Lynnwood fire department

LYNNWOOD — On the surface it all just looks like business as usual at the Lynnwood Fire Department.

Firefighters and paramedics lolligagging together in the kitchen, offices and weightroom, it’s been like this since 1993 when a 12-hour Medic 7 unit was first housed at the main Lynnwood fire station. The unit became a 24-hour service there in 1999.

But as of Jan. 1, the fun loving public safety team tied the knot, when half of the Medic 7 paramedics became actual Lynnwood employees with their firefighter brothers and sisters. The other half now belong to the city of Edmonds.

“They’ve known it was coming and I think they’re relieved and excited to be here,” said Lynnwood’s acting assistant fire chief Jim Herman.

While the coffee drinking and joke playing haven’t changed, not to mention the heavy emergency call load both services have here, schedules and training have.

The medics are now on the same schedule as the firefighters, working 24 hours on and 48 off with a Kelly Day (an extra day off) every seventh shift on three separate shifts, A, B and C.

This is something that will take some getting used to, said Dave Strachan, who has been a paramedic with Medic 7 for five years.

“We’ve all enjoyed and are missing getting our four day break,” Strachan said about the Medic 7 schedule. Prior to becoming employees of Lynnwood, the medics worked 24 on 24 off 24 on and then four days off.

Not to mention, paramedic Gill Hall said, it’s new to work with the same people every shift. Prior to being on the firefighter’s schedule, the medics rotated who they worked with.

The paramedics are also training to receive their Firefighter 1 state certifications.

“They’re getting as much training done as the crews can do with our call load,” Herman said.

Greg Macke, the new interim medical services administrator for both Lynnwood and Edmonds medics said along with the firefighters training them, the medics can now also work closely to the firefighters who are all emergency medical technicians in their medical training as well.

“We also now have the opportunity to provide immediate feedback to them, we think it will strengthen our teamwork out in the field,” Macke said. Adding, “we will continue to be dedicated to provide the same high caliber service as we’ve done in the past.”

Strachan said the training has been “a big deal— everyone here has been really good and supportive. Our primary duties will be as paramedics, but we will later be cleared for some firefighting duties.”

He added, “the way we operate medically hasn’t changed at all, we don’t want to fix it if it’s not broken.”

While there has been a little natural anxiety to the transition, Strachan said it isn’t half as stressful as before— waiting and wondering if they were still going to have a job.

“It’s real nice to have an employer and the security,” he said.