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EMS
Emergency Medical Services
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has been around for years but has more commonly been associated with ambulances and their treatment of the sick and injured. The modern fire service has evolved immensely over the years and it's becoming more common that 70-80% of departments call volume is medical in nature. This means that we respond to EMS calls that range from minor health problems such as a fall, general illness, strain or sprained extremity. Alternatively, there are more severe calls such as difficulty breathing, heart problems (abnormal heart rhythm and heart attack), and even cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
At a minimum all of our staff members are certified at an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)- Basic level, additionally, at least one member on duty will be certified at the EMT- Paramedic level. Becoming a paramedic is the highest certification level one can achieve when providing care in the "out of hospital" setting. Each year our members receive extensive continued education to be up to date with the latest practices of modern medicine and how it is applied to pre-hospital treatment. This can include but is certainly not limited to reading and interpreting 12 lead EKG's, advances in stroke treatment, trauma care (falls, burns, motor vehicle accidents, gunshot/stab wounds), sepsis (infection inside of the body), and CPR in cardiac arrests.
The photos below feature some, but by no means all, of our more advanced cutting-edge equipment we have available to best serve the citizens in our community. The first is our Zoll Auto Pulse. This is an automatic mechanical compression device that can essentially provide high quality CPR in the event of a cardiac arrest. Secondly, our Zoll Cardiac Monitors allow us extreme versatility on nearly any medical call. It allows us to obtain basic essential "vital signs" such blood pressures, pulse rate, and the amount of Oxygen in your body. On a more advanced scale it allows us to obtain a 12 lead EKG which can determine multiple items such as a heart attack or life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm; and of course, it can "shock" someone in CPR if necessary, during a cardiac arrest. Lastly, in the event of a severe respiratory (breathing) problem we have a video "laryngoscope" which aids us in the event we have to place a tube down a person's throat. This comes in handy only on occasion but is essential in the event that the body can no longer support breathing on their own.
At a minimum all of our staff members are certified at an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)- Basic level, additionally, at least one member on duty will be certified at the EMT- Paramedic level. Becoming a paramedic is the highest certification level one can achieve when providing care in the "out of hospital" setting. Each year our members receive extensive continued education to be up to date with the latest practices of modern medicine and how it is applied to pre-hospital treatment. This can include but is certainly not limited to reading and interpreting 12 lead EKG's, advances in stroke treatment, trauma care (falls, burns, motor vehicle accidents, gunshot/stab wounds), sepsis (infection inside of the body), and CPR in cardiac arrests.
The photos below feature some, but by no means all, of our more advanced cutting-edge equipment we have available to best serve the citizens in our community. The first is our Zoll Auto Pulse. This is an automatic mechanical compression device that can essentially provide high quality CPR in the event of a cardiac arrest. Secondly, our Zoll Cardiac Monitors allow us extreme versatility on nearly any medical call. It allows us to obtain basic essential "vital signs" such blood pressures, pulse rate, and the amount of Oxygen in your body. On a more advanced scale it allows us to obtain a 12 lead EKG which can determine multiple items such as a heart attack or life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm; and of course, it can "shock" someone in CPR if necessary, during a cardiac arrest. Lastly, in the event of a severe respiratory (breathing) problem we have a video "laryngoscope" which aids us in the event we have to place a tube down a person's throat. This comes in handy only on occasion but is essential in the event that the body can no longer support breathing on their own.
