A primer on politics.

Abstract

In the preceding discussion "politics" was defined as the pursuit of power, and that pursuit of power was examined in the context of the local political scene. With this information, EMTs and paramedics may be better able to make sense of the complexities of local EMS politics and thereby relieve some of the frustration that all of us must feel as we look at a system that appears to be unresponsive and unmoving. John Naisbitt in his book Megatrends and Alvin Toffler in The Third Wave both discuss the decentralization of political power in the U.S. and the movement of power away from the federal government to state and local governments. There will probably be more opportunities, not less, for EMTs and paramedics to participate in local government decisions concerning the provision of emergency medical services in their community. Using the questions in each of the models will provide EMTS and paramedics a great deal of insight into the local political process. This will enable EMTs and paramedics to do themselves and their patients a great service by influencing the decisions made by local politicians, which will have a great impact on the quality of care that patients receive.