National Emergency Medical Services Week: May 15 – 21, 2016

This week is National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week, in honor of the dedicated men and women who provide critical day-to-day lifesaving services on the “frontlines” of emergencies across the country. When conditions can change in seconds, dual role firefighters/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics in Montgomery County provide sophisticated, state-of-the-art pre-hospital emergency medical care that can often mean the difference between life and death. The fire department has a rich history of protecting the health and safety of the community through an ‘all hazards’ response model and this week provides an opportunity to recognize EMS contributions of the past and build upon them for a safer tomorrow.

EMS Provider Of The Month Ceremony

Today we honored several members of the department, along with a Montgomery County resident, for actions over the last several months that resulted in lives being saved.

The video below was from our live Periscope feed this morning.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Earns Prestigious Congressional Fire Service Industry Excellence in Fire Service-Based Award

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service received the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS award at the 25^th Annual Congressional Fire and Emergency Services dinner this week. The award is designed to recognize best practices and highlight innovations in the delivery of emergency medical services.

Established in 1989, the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy institute that works with members of Congress in promoting fire and life safety issues. Working with other national fire service organizations, the Institute focuses its attention on issues that benefit all first responders. Members of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, the largest caucus in Congress, look to CFSI for guidance and information to enhance their level of understanding about the challenges and needs of the nation’s fire and EMS communities. Each year, CFSI and the MedicAlert Foundation honor and recognize departments that have made outstanding contributions.

Annually, 75 percent of all Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service emergency calls are EMS-related and the demand for emergency medical services can quickly challenge available resources. Since 2009, the department has developed and implemented several critical programs that demonstrate the department’s commitment to saving lives in the community. With strong evidence nationally that pre-hospital care has a profound impact on survival, the department was one of the first in the state to implement and deploy paramedic-staffed engine companies, which facilitates faster access, improved pre-hospital care and enhanced patient care during an emergency. 

When every second counts, receiving the right medical care in minutes can mean the difference between life and death. The window of time from when a patient starts experiencing heart attack symptoms to the moment the patient receives treatment is a critically important period. In 2010, the department established the Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC) program which allows paramedics to transmit critical data directly and securely from remote locations to area hospitals using sophisticated technology and equipment. The new technology accelerates the diagnosis process while shaving off critical time that ultimately can make a difference in patient outcome and survival.

While hospitals and first responders have many protocols in place to ensure that cardiac patients are diagnosed and treated quickly, providing this early diagnosis “en route” ensures that the hospital team will be mobilized and standing by to intervene with angioplasty, as needed, so that blocked heart vessels can be opened, blood flow to the heart restored and heart muscle (and lives) saved.  The time period from diagnosis to the opening of the vessels is known as “door to balloon” or D2B time. According to guidelines by the American Heart Association, optimal D2B time is 90 minutes or less.

“This award reflects our ongoing investment in and dedication to excellence in our Fire and Rescue Service,” said County Executive Isiah Leggett. “I am very proud of the hard work of each and every member of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service who has placed us in a position to be nationally recognized for this prestigious award.”

“This award is testament to the commitment and dedication of the entire department and also reflects the hard work and collaboration of our hospital partners,” said Fire Chief Steve Lohr. “We strive to stay on the leading edge of the most advanced technology and industry practices available which translates into providing the best possible care - - one patient at a time.”

With strong evidence that rapid response by fire and EMS personnel, combined with state-of-the- art technology and pre-hospital care, these projects are examples of teamwork and technology saving lives. 

EMS Appreciation

By: Captain Beth Sanford, MCFRS EMS Quality Assurance

Last week Montgomery County Fire & Rescue (MCFRS) personnel participated in an event, at the Germantown Emergency Center (GEC), in which staff from Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and the GEC gathered to say thanks to MCFRS personnel for their support of the GEC over the past five years. 

Those present were treated to a healthy assortment of breakfast treats and the opportunity for casual interaction amongst the administrative and medical staff from Adventist and personnel from MCFRS Fire Stations 22 and 34, as well as from the MCFRS EMS Section.  Thanks to Adventist for thinking of us!

Below are some photos from the gathering.

   

National EMS Week May 20 – 26, 2012

Rockville - - -  Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week will be celebrated throughout the nation May 20-26, 2012.  Montgomery County fire fighters, all of who are paramedics or emergency medical technicians are called to assist on over 100,000 incidents each year.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) is a full spectrum life safety agency protecting nearly 1 million people who live and work in Maryland’s most populous jurisdiction.  The theme for this year, “EMS: More than a Job. A Calling,” underscores the commitment and dedication of the nation’s emergency medical service (EMS) providers who serve their communities all across the United States.

"The dedicated men and women who serve as EMS providers in Montgomery County are often first on the scene of local medical emergencies, motor vehicle crashes, disasters of all shapes and sizes or other event that may place them in a hazardous environment,” said Fire Chief Richard Bowers,  Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.


“As this year’s theme implies, our emergency first responders serve on the front lines and are an integral part of emergency health care in our communities while performing an extraordinary service.”
EMS Assistant Chief Diane Zuspan added, "Our EMS team provides an essential service to the communities we serve and we proudly recognize these inspiring and dedicated emergency medical responders who, on a daily basis, go above and beyond the call of duty to save lives, often while putting themselves in harm’s way."


Montgomery County has demonstrated an improved quality of out-of-hospital resuscitation through bystander CPR, AED deployment via public access, pre-arrival advanced care and other continuous quality resuscitation improvements. During EMS Week, Montgomery County Fire Chief Richard Bowers wants to especially acknowledge all the men and women of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, bystanders and medical professionals who have been involved in life-saving efforts in the County. 

New Technology Makes Diagnosis Possible During Ambulance Transport

Those with Heart Attack Symptoms Should Always Call 911

Rockville - An updated EKG (electrocardiogram) system that transmits heart rhythm data and vital signs is now available in Montgomery County advanced life support ambulances making it possible to notify Emergency Department physicians within moments of a paramedic diagnosis,  saving valuable time during transport to the hospital.

Background

The window of time from when a patient starts experiencing heart attack symptoms to the moment the patient receives treatment is a critically important period. This newly acquired equipment allows paramedics to send critical data directly and securely from remote locations to awaiting area hospitals and accelerates the diagnosis process while shaving off critical time that can ultimately make a difference in patient outcome and survival. While hospitals and first responders have many protocols in place to ensure that cardiac patients are diagnosed and treated quickly, providing this early diagnosis “en route” ensures that the hospital team will be mobilized and standing by to intervene with angioplasty, as needed, so that blocked heart vessels can be opened, blood flow to the heart restored and heart muscle (and lives) saved.  This time period from diagnosis to the opening of the vessels is known as “door to balloon” or D2B time. According to guidelines by the American Heart Association, optimal D2B time is 90 minutes or less.

“This technology is the perfect example of collaboration at work to save lives,” said Fire Chief Richard Bowers. “The technology enhances our ability to network with the hospitals, speed up care for heart attack victims and provide critical patient care and it’s already made a difference in the lives of several patients since the system was implemented.”

Problem

The signs and symptoms of a heart attack can be subtle and hard to identify. “One of the biggest challenges is that too often victims of heart attacks will ignore symptoms or choose to drive themselves to the hospital when they suspect a possible heart attack,” said EMS Chief Diane Zuspan. “The best course of action is to call 911 immediately for help. Our paramedics have the training, and now the technology, to diagnose a heart attack on the scene while working with our hospitals to provide the best chance of survival.” 

Patient Story

Mr. Kenneth Courage, age 61, experienced chest pain on July 29, 2011 and called an ambulance.  When EMS arrived at his home they performed an EKG at 10:38 am.  The EKG was transmitted electronically via the LIFENET system to the Suburban Hospital Emergency Department, where Dr. Matthew Leonard confirmed the diagnosis of STEMI (ST- segment elevation myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack.  A heart attack is caused by a sudden, prolonged blockage of an artery that supplies blood to a large area of the heart. To ensure the best outcome, the blocked artery must be opened quickly with balloon angioplasty performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Once the diagnosis was confirmed, Suburban Hospital’s “Code Heart” team was activated. On that day the team included interventional cardiologist Dr. Yuri Deychak. Mr. Courage was transported directly to the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab, bypassing the emergency department. He arrived in the catheterization lab at 11:07 am and his vessels were opened by the Code Heart Team 28 minutes later. The home/diagnosis to balloon catheter intervention time was 57 minutes.

LIFENET, a Web-based system, allows EMS teams in the field to send EKG readings to hospital staff digitally, with the results immediately accessible on desktop computers as well as smart phones. At the hospital, teams of cardiologists, nurses and technologists provide 24/7 coverage in the cardiac catheterization labs. 

All County hospitals which have the Cardiac Intervention Center (CIC) designation from the State of Maryland, including Suburban Hospital, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, Washington Hospital and Holy Cross Hospital, collaborated with MCFRS to implement the LifeNet System. Each of the hospitals contributed toward the initial equipment purchase and has agreed to support ongoing expenses.   

Since July, many patients have benefited from this new technology and this new process, which applied together with state and local protocols, bypass the Emergency Department and saves valuable time. The difference in minutes can be the difference between life and death.