Emergency Medical Services workers and their families held an informational picket outside of Sumter County Community Center on Friday morning in Pinellas Plaza in The Villages.
Ken Skaggs of the National Association of Government Employees was there in support of EMS workers and their families who say they are asking for fair wages and benefits.
The EMTs and paramedics of Sumter County have been negotiating for a new contract with American Medical Response for ten months, but Skaggs said it “broke down” despite the assistance from a federal mediator.
Wives of paramedics who brought their children as young as seven months, family members and workers took a stand in front of the service center to raise awareness of the financial plight of EMS workers.
Some even drove from places as far as Clermont and Crystal River to support their loved ones working in EMS.
Entry level pay for EMS workers starts at $8.10. Skaggs said that one of the young EMS workers gets paid $9 an hour to wash dishes at a second job.
“We depend on them for our survival. That’s why I’m here. They deserve fair pay, our support for their dedication,” said Village of LaBelle resident Steve Romanchak.
Romanchak volunteered as an EMS worker back in Pennsylvania because he knew how understaffed and underpaid workers were, so he dedicated his time to allow workers to spend time with their families.
International Association of EMTs and Paramedics Negotiator Scott Schaub mentioned the concern of the population’s fast growth rate in The Villages, as well as Sumter County, compared to the low number of workers in EMS.
Without the “livable wages,” that these protestors are fighting for, recruitment and retention of workers will be weak, thus leaving the county with a shortage in EMS workers.
“The optimal full-time staff for EMS service in Sumter County should be 36 paramedics and 36 EMTs. Right now, AMR is short-staffs day approximately 25 full-time EMS professionals. Making them work extra-long shifts to cover up the shortage is dangerous for everybody,” according to a statement from the IAEP.
Villager Jack Post told his story of how EMS workers saved his life 10 years ago this month.
“I woke up with severe chest pains,” said Post.
After contacting 911, paramedics came to his home, kept him calm and took care of him as they took him to Leesburg Regional Medical Center.
At the hospital, doctors told Post that had it not been for the quick response by the paramedics, Post would not have made it as he was suffering from blockage.
Frank Carattini, an EMS worker, explained how difficult it was working on the wage he received. “I was spending more going to work,” said Carattini, who would travel from Weirsdale to Bushnell every day.
“We just want a living wage,” he said.
Many who drove by, even Villages firefighters, who are also involved in their own negotiations, honked their horns in support of the EMS personnel.