Multi-Professional (Paramedic-Fireman) Unit Models in Emergency Services in Finnish Small Municipalities

The demographic structure in the Nordic countries is changing continuously as many people move into larger cities. The small municipalities and increasing sparsely populated areas create a challenge for both paramedic, fire... [ view full abstract ]

The demographic structure in the Nordic countries is changing continuously as many people move into larger cities. The small municipalities and increasing sparsely populated areas create a challenge for both paramedic, fire and rescue services. Similarly, changes in the international operating environment, national and regional structural reforms, tougher economic conditions, and technological development challenge the emergency services. In Finland the regional rescue services decide on the standard of service in the region after consulting the municipalities. The decision specifies the threats in the region and assesses the risks arising from them, and determines the objectives of the operations, available resources, services and the standard of service. Providing efficient response and a good standard of service for the residents of the small municipalities and sparsely populated areas is a big challenge for the paramedic and rescue services. The possible solutions of the dilemma may include new technologies and information systems as well as exploring new solutions for organizing the operations of paramedic and rescue services.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities of the use of multi-professional paramedic-fireman units in small municipalities in Finland. We investigate four different models of multi-professional units, the contexts in which they operate and the management challenges encountered in the operation. The research questions are: 1) How do the multi-professional units function and in which context are they used? 2) Are there critical elements in the models of multi-professional units, and if so, what kind of elements? Similarly, we explore how the units cooperate with other local actors like elderly care units, and what kind of preventive work (eg. accident prevention or education) they are involved in. The theoretical starting points in the study are the framework of multi-professional cooperation and critical realism.

The two research questions are explored with data from three regional emergency service organizations in Finland. The data are collected with three group interviews, a questionnaire to the personnel working in the units and statistics on the actual response of the units. The paper is qualitative in nature and we use content analysis to answer the research questions. We expect the results of the study to help to understand the possibilities and challenges in multi-professional units in small municipalities and rural areas. The empirical results may suggest that use of multi-professional units may be one way of providing a better standard of service in the small municipalities and rural areas. However, the employees find themselves in a new situation due to the novel working practices and different professional backgrounds in the multi-professional units.

The study is part of a research project funded by the Fire Protection Fund and Ensihoidon Tukisäätiö in 2016-2017.