PPB May 2020

Market Snapshot Although long-term employment projections look positive, more first responders are needed on the ground now. Even before the challenges of COVID-19, emergency departments around the country were strained with significant shortages. Police departments are lowering their hiring standards as they face a lack of qualified recruits. According to USA Today , an increasing number of law enforcement agencies have started to accept applicants who have arrest records for low-level offenses as well as those who admit to past drug use and who lack college degrees. Fire departments are forced to eliminate services or shut down completely due to a lack of volunteers. For example, in Pennsylvania, the number of volunteer firefighters declined from 300,000 in the 1970s to only 38,000 in 2018, according to the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute. Fewer pairs of boots on the ground puts communities—and millions of acres of forest—at risk. Last year’s wildfire season in California saw nearly 8,000 fires that ended in an estimated 259,823 acres of burned land, according to Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service. On the medical front, emergency responders must scramble to provide high-quality care despite an influx of patients. According to the American Journal of Managed Care, nearly half of all medical care in the United States occurs in emergency departments. In March, Congress approved more than $8 billion in emergency funding for states, which was used to test people for COVID-19, track those who had fallen ill and provide public awareness campaigns. Still, an urgent need remains for qualified medical professionals. Considering the vast need in virtually all categories of first responders, distributors have an opportunity to create impactful recruitment campaigns. Through promotional products, these agencies can call attention to the urgent need for more helping hands. F i r s t Responde r s What Does The Average EMS Worker Look Like? 66.3% of EMS workers are male 82.8% are white 7.68% are black 2.6% are Asian The median age of EMS workers is 35.9 Source: Data USA Help The Helpers First responders work in high-stress jobs—often with little or no down time. More than half (54 percent) of EMS services use 24-hour shifts, approximately 29 percent use 12-hour shifts and only 7 percent use 8- or 10-hour shifts. Some departments call on EMS workers to work 48-hour shifts. While the nature of the job remains the same, departments can take steps to protect workers’ health and well-being through wellness campaigns. Source: EMSWorld.com Thank The First Responders Work with local hospitals, fire stations and police departments to celebrate first responders for these occasions: January 9: National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day May 4: International Firefighters Day May 10-16: National Police Week May 12: International Nurses Day May 17-23: National EMS Week October 28: National First Responders Day 30 | MAY 2020 | GROW