Haddam Fire Recognizes National EMS Week

It’s 7:00 on a Saturday evening and a person has just been bitten by an animal and needs to get to the hospital.  A phone call is made to the 7-digit number hanging next to the rotary dial on the wall listed as “Ambulance.”  The person answering asks where the incident is and says they will send someone out as soon as possible.  A half hour later, an ambulance arrives from the next town, puts the injured person in the back, and heads off to the Hospital Emergency Room with little or no care being administered prior to their arrival.

This emergency call very well could have taken place in Haddam or any of the surrounding towns not too long ago; however, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System has come a long way.  The American College of Emergency Physicians and the National Association of EMTs has designated the week of May 21^st as EMS Week.  It is an effort to recognize all of those who train and work to deliver the best quality EMS possible – at all levels of the system.

If our caller above had made that phone call today, they would have dialed 911 and reached a state-of-the-art dispatch facility.  On the computer screen, the location would be given of the incident.  The dispatcher would gather much more information about the incident and be able to give directions to them on how to help the patient – even before trained EMS help has arrived.

Today, the dispatch center would have immediately dispatched both the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. as the town’s designated First Responder, the Haddam Ambulance Service, and a Paramedic from Middlesex Hospital. 

First Responders may go directly to the scene in their own vehicles, or they may ride on smaller trucks equipped with the latest medical equipment including emergency heart defibrillators.  Haddam Fire presently has approximately 20 Emergency Medical Responders and Emergency Medical Technicians.  They are able to provide all on-scene basic life support care until the Middlesex Hospital Paramedic arrives.  In our scenario above, bleeding is stopped, the patient is treated for shock, vital signs are obtained and the family is informed as to the process to make things go smooth.  Over half of the emergency calls that Haddam Fire responds to today are EMS related.

Hospital Paramedics are able to provide many of the advanced life support procedures that are done in an Emergency Department.  Inserting advanced airways, starting IV lines, administering medications are things that happen routinely in the field.  Ambulances are no longer viewed as Cadillac station-wagons, but more like mini-Emergency Rooms.  Bright lights, climate control, and a wide array of equipment allow the EMS professionals the room to work. 

If the patient is so serious that the need to get to a Level 1 Trauma Center, Life Star Helicopters are used.  Haddam Fire routinely calls for and lands the helicopters providing a safe landing zone and assists with patient transfer.  From the scene to the most appropriately equipped hospital can be as little as 10 minutes.  During the ride, a Flight Nurse and Respiratory Therapist will administer an even higher level of care.

Emergency Departments today are a further extension of the EMS System.  They are notified via med-radio by the transporting ambulance (ground or air) of the status of the patient(s) and will have the necessary equipment and staff available upon arrival.  Medical Control is provided by the Emergency Department Physicians to EMS personnel in the field, offering guidance and giving orders for treatment requiring a higher level of authority when being administered.

EMS Training continues to evolve.  Emergency Medical Services Instructors teach EMR and EMT courses – both initial and refreshers.  Fire Departments, Ambulance Services and Paramedic providers constantly train their staffs to keep up with the latest technology and treatment programs. 

During the week of May 21^st – please thank someone in the EMS system – from the 911 call taker to an Emergency Department employee, and everyone in between.  If not for the countless hours of training and responding, we would still be operating and receiving the care as our victim yesteryear.

More information on the activities of the Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. and ways you can get involved can be found on our website – www.HaddamFire.com