I started out today’s interview intending to talk about the conflict between fire officers and lower-ranked—but certified--paramedics.

It wasn’t long before I got caught up in a discussion about the “state of the Union” of Fire vs. EMS. It’s a hot button issue, for sure.

My guest on this edition of Code 3, Wes Ward, says there’s a “ridiculous gap” between the two, one that’s totally unnecessary. And if you don’t know him, Wes has been a battalion chief serving as the director of EMS for Center Point Fire District in Alabama. Before that, he was a fire captain at Birmingham Fire and Rescue.

So, yes, he’s been on both sides of the divide, and he believes there shouldn’t even be a divide between Fire and EMS.