As much as 80 percent of the life-saving drugs that local paramedics use to treat patients is in short supply at any given time. The shortage—which has impacted emergency medical services and fire rescue departments of all sizes across the country—has no end in sight, some paramedics say. Between 2005 and 2010, the number of drugs in short supply tripled, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Drugs to treat congestive heart failure, head injuries and seizures were among the drugs in short supply, said Patrick Thume, a captain at Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
