The Paramedic Program in Breezy Point is a model that was
created by the city about a decade ago, in March of 2005. The program involves the hiring of police
officers who are trained paramedics. As
paramedics, their skill set and training is far superior to that of a first
responder. They have the authority to
administer drugs, use specialized medical equipment and life-saving methods but
they are not physicians. As such they
need to operate under the auspices of a physician.
This relationship has been undertaken by North Memorial
Medical Center and is memorialized by an agreement between the city and North
Memorial. The agreement specifies the
responsibilities and relationship of the parties. The agreement has been renewed every other
year as a two year agreement. The
agreement was again approved at the April meeting and is now in place until
April 21, 2017.
The paramedic program continues for another 2 years with
this relationship being reaffirmed.
Residents of the city benefit from the two paramedics police officers we
have on staff. We have appreciated the
efforts of Officers Joe Garcia and Jason Rieber who have served the city well
in this regard for a number of years.
