Defining emergency medical services

Medical emergencies can happen at any time. In 2012, medical calls accounted for about 68 percent of the Falcon Fire Protection Districtís total alarms. Whether the emergency involves an injury, a heart problem or some other medical issue, FFPD is well-prepared to handle the situation.Changing with the timesIn the early days of the Falcon Fire Department, volunteer members trained in Advanced First Aid, ambulances came from the city of Colorado Springs; and, when needed, Fort Carsonís Medevac helicopters provided air transport services. As the former Falcon fire chief, Bud Kucera, described it, ìThe (fire department) volunteers were the only responders for any emergency except law enforcement in the Falcon area.îAs Falcon grew, so did the need to provide residents with the most current emergency medical services. Today, every FFPD member is required to be an Emergency Medical Technician. An American Medical Response ambulance, staffed with a paramedic and an EMT, is posted in the district full-time. Helicopter transport is now provided by commercial entities such as Flight for LifeÆ or Memorial Star.The people and organizations may have changed, but the quality of patient care has only improved.What do EMTs and paramedics do?EMTs provide emergency pre-hospital care beyond first aid or first responder-level care. The path to becoming a certified EMT-B (which stands for EMT-basic) begins with about four months of training that includes time working with trained personnel on ambulances and in emergency rooms, and culminates with a state and/or national certification exam. During their training, EMT students must learn a wealth of information about the human body, types of illnesses and injuries and basic emergency care procedures. Some of the tasks EMTs are expected to perform in the field:

• Assess patient condition in adults, children, and infants
• Obtain vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate and respiration rate
• Manage patient airway (breathing)
• Bandaging and splinting
• Spinal stabilization
• Provide oxygen
• Lift and carry patients

EMTs are also trained to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use automated external defibrillators.EMTs certified at the intermediate level (designated as EMT-I) receive additional training that authorizes them to perform more advanced procedures than EMT-Bs, but fewer than paramedics. For example, an EMT-I can administer limited drugs, intubate patients, interpret electrocardiograms and perform defibrillation.EMT-P (or EMT-paramedic) represents the highest level of EMT training. Paramedics must complete about four semesters of schooling in advanced subjects, including pharmacology and cardiology. Paramedics can administer a variety of medications, perform advanced procedures to keep a patient breathing, use 12-lead electrocardiograms for cardiac patients and more.Every level of EMT, from basic through paramedic, must complete continuing education to maintain their certifications. At FFPD, EMS personnel participate in medical training at least three times per month.All FFPD firefighters are required to maintain minimum certification as EMT-basics. FFPD also has EMT-certified medical reservists who perform only emergency medical duties. Some members have gone beyond the EMT-basic level. One full-time member is certified as an EMT-I, and two full-time members and three reservists are qualified as paramedics.FFPD and AMR partnershipAn AMR ambulance is based at FFPD station No. 1 under an agreement with FFPD. Placing an ambulance at the station minimizes response times for advanced life support in the busiest area of the district, and also helps reduce response times to outlying areas. Three AMR paramedics (one per shift) staff the ambulance along with FFPD EMTs who are assigned on a 30-day rotating basis. The overall arrangement is mutually beneficial. ìBoth sides get a good deal,î said AMR paramedic Nick Pieper.AMR pays for the fire districtís EMTs to work on the ambulance, which helps FFPD maintain staffing levels in other areas. Those EMTs gain valuable experience by attending to patients from initial contact until patient care is transferred to emergency room physicians. EMS crews will often receive feedback from the ER doctors, which helps them learn and progress.AMR also offers continuing education to FFPD EMTs and paramedics at no cost to the district.ìOur relationship with AMR only betters our EMTs,î said battalion Chief Cory Galicia. ìIt helps our members gather strengths, abilities and confidence to perform. It would be hard to gain the skills had we not had the relationship we have with AMR. Overall it’s a win-win situation for everyone, especially the patients receiving the care.îRural emergency medicine: Doing more with lessEmergency medicine in rural areas requires a different skill set than in an urban setting. In a city like Colorado Springs, ambulance transport times from an emergency scene to a hospital are relatively short. Additional personnel and equipment are also more readily available for large or complex emergencies.FFPD doesnít have those luxuries. The districtís size often means longer response times for emergency personnel and increased transport times for patients who need to go to a hospital. Additional resources may have to respond from a distance. Unlike their urban counterparts with nearby hospitals, FFPD EMS crews must be prepared to treat their patients for a longer period of time. ìWe just have to be on our game out here,î said Lt. Curtis Kauffman. ìWe have to give the best care possible.îGoing above and beyondLuke McIntosh, reserve firefighter and EMT, said the community also benefits from competent personnel and their desire to serve. ìWeíve got people who want to be here,î he said.ìWeíre compassionate,î Galicia said. ìWe treat our patients like†we would†family in these unfortunate situations. We understand what theyíre going through and want to make it as comfortable as possible.”For the men and women of FFPD, service doesnít stop when the call is over. Galicia described a recent incident where a crew had to force entry through a window to get to a patient inside a locked home. Once the patient was taken care of, the FFPD crew cleaned up the broken glass and helped repair the window.In another case, FFPD responded to a person who had passed out while planting a tree. After transporting the patient to the hospital, firefighters went back and finished planting the tree.ìWeíre here for 48 hours,î Galicia said. ìThe citizens are paying us, so we try to help.îMore than emergency servicesStation No. 1 at 12072 Royal County Downs Road has a medical room where FFPD personnel can check a personís blood pressure, verify personal glucometer readings or tend to walk-in patients. However, people who are sick or injured should not try to drive themselves to a fire station. Instead, call 911 and wait for help to arrive.FFPD stations are designated as safe havens for newborns under the Colorado Safe Haven Law, which allows a parent to relinquish an infant within 72 hours of giving birth to an employee of a fire department or hospital ñ with no questions asked.FFPD also provides community CPR classes. Call 719-495-4050 for more information.Another service FFPD provides is the File of Life. The File of Life helps emergency responders obtain information about a personís medical history, prescriptions and emergency contacts in the event that person is unable to provide the information. The file consists of a tri-fold information card within a red plastic sleeve that is attached to a refrigerator magnet. FFPD and AMR crews know to look for these Files of Life to help them provide the best patient care possible.The File of Life program is voluntary and cost-free. To obtain a file, call 719-495-4050.