Sun Editorial:

Not your typical job

Las Vegas should end paperwork bonuses for emergency personnel

Thursday, April 23, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

Few job tasks are more mundane — or universally despised — than filling out paperwork.

One normally doesn’t even get an “attaboy” for doing paperwork because it is expected as part of the job. That is, unless you happen to be lucky enough to work as a paramedic or emergency medical technician for Las Vegas.

As reported Wednesday by Joe Schoenmann in the Las Vegas Sun, those employees get bonuses for filling out paperwork properly. These bonuses aren’t simply gold stars or coffee mugs. They’re cold, hard cash, more than $600,000 worth last year alone. The paperwork for transporting someone to the hospital is worth $20 for an EMT and $30 for a paramedic.

These outrageous bonuses, disguised under the equally ridiculous moniker “quality assurance documentation pay,” totaled $2.6 million from 2002 through 2008. The city’s justification is that properly completed paperwork helps improve its collection of money from individuals and insurers to cover the transport costs.

But those bonuses aren’t paid by Clark County or any other jurisdiction contacted by the Sun. There’s a good reason for that. Paperwork is part of the job.

Frank Salomon, deputy chief of public affairs for the Phoenix Fire Department, was rightly befuddled, saying: “So these guys are on duty and they respond to the call, and they transport, and they get an extra $20 to $30 to fill out the paperwork? Really? I want a job there!”

Mr. Salomon can get in line behind the rest of us.

When the new contract is hammered out in June between the city and Firefighters Local 1285, which represents the emergency medical personnel, the bonuses should be eliminated and paperwork should be considered part of the job, as it is elsewhere.

The city should then develop better ways to cover the costs of its services and collect money from those who use emergency transportation.

Discussion: 3 comments so far…

By neiman1

4/23/09 at 7:54 a.m.

Suggest removal

Yes, this should be stopped immediately and anyone not properly filling out paper work should be discharged for deriliction of duty.

We need to drop the transportation part of the Fire Dept. Let private contractors handle the ambulance portion of the work and cut personnel to match.

Next look into private contractors providing the Fire Protection. Let's end this ball and chain the Fire Department has placed on the treasury.
By martel3

4/23/09 at 7:57 a.m.

Suggest removal

No matter what they call this, the program is designed to increase the amount of money the City of Las Vegas raises from transporting patients to area hospitals. If law enforcement officers were paid extra cash for every ticket they wrote or person they booked, the citizens and elected officials would be out raged. For the city officials to disengenuously say that these payments were for quality control instead of as a means to raise funds for the city's coffers is truly an outrage.
By HL9000

4/23/09 at 8:41 a.m.

Suggest removal

Neiman1,

Private fire protection, what a great idea!

Ask the residents of Scottsdale Az how good of an idea that was having Rural Metro all those years. Oh wait, it was such a great idea, they voted to go with there own municipality Fire Dept.