EMS Provider of the Month

By: Captain W. Hout
      Fire Station 2 B-Shift

Congratulations to Firefighter Adam Bearne (Takoma Park) for receiving the EMS Provider of the Month Award. Adam earned this recognition for successfully diagnosing and performing the Heimlich Maneuver on a choking victim. 

Adam is pictured receiving the award from Lt. Erin Wirth. 

Addition of an EMS Supervisor in the 1st Battalion

 By: Master Firefighter Tim Burns

On  Sunday July 14, 2013 Montgomery County Fire and Rescue expanded its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) supervision capabilities to include a 2nd EMS duty officer who will be quartered at Fire Station 19 on Seminary Road in the Montgomery Hills Section of Silver Spring.

While their responsibilities will encompass the entire lower county area as well as backing up the other duty officer county-wide, this addition brings much needed support to the paramedics and EMTs of the 1st Battalion.

The 1st Battalion is the home to a large number of EMS calls.  At the same time, the transport times are often short due to the relatively small geographic area and the

abundance of hospitals (including trauma centers).  When a responding duty officer is coming from Gaithersburg or Rockville they are ineffective simply because the entire patient interaction is over by the time they make it to the scene, let alone before the critical interventions that occur in the first few minutes of the event have taken place.

Along with on-scene support these EMS supervisors will provide enhanced quality improvement efforts and a more local liaison to the down county hospitals.

We in the 1st Battalion would like to welcome Captain Bill Phelps on A-Shift, Captain Jason Giza on B-Shift and Captain Stacy Jones on C-Shift.

National Emergency Medical Services Week: May 19 – 25, 2013

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.

This year’s theme, ‘EMS: One Mission. One Team,’ recognizes the integral role of EMS providers with hospital emergency and trauma teams. Annually, 75 percent of all Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service emergency calls are EMS-related and as the public’s demand for emergency medical services has steadily increased over the years, advances in medicine and technology have increased the role of EMS providers in the field.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) has a national reputation for excellence and is continually researching and implementing innovative protocols to improve patient outcomes through advanced pre-hospital emergency medical care. In 2009, the department 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. In 2010, the department established the Emergency Cardiac Care (ECC) program which allows paramedics to transmit critical patient data directly and securely from remote locations to area hospitals using sophisticated technology and equipment. This new technology accelerates the diagnosis process while reducing critical time that ultimately can make a difference in patient outcome and survival.

“In recent weeks, we have seen the critical role that EMS responders play in major events and times of disaster,” said Chief Steven Lohr. “Today’s EMS system brings the first, and often critical, hour of specialized emergency care right to the patient’s side.When you have a medical emergency, you need immediate care. EMS Week provides an opportunity to recognize the often less visible members of our lifesaving team who are often first on the scene of emergencies and  medically complex calls and, on a daily basis, go above and beyond the call of duty to save lives.”

I Called for an Ambulance. Why is There a Fire Engine Outside?

By Lieutenant Robert Furst

Currently, in The 1st Battalion, there are six fire engines staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week with four firefighters one of whom is a paramedic. These fire engines are housed at Downtown Silver Spring (1), Hillandale (12), Burtonsville (15), Four Corners (16), Montgomery Hills (19), and Colesville (24). Officially, they are named ALS First Response Apparatus (AFRA). On the radio, they are called Paramedic Engines.

As seen in this picture, the fire engines are equipped with a full complement of Advanced Life Support (ALS) equipment. This includes a cardiac monitor with 12-Lead capability with the ability to transmit said ECGs to the receiving hospitals. Also carried is a complete set of emergency medications and equipment with which to start IVs and place advanced airways in patients. For patients with trouble breathing, all of the paramedic engines carry a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device. The AFRA carries everything a medic unit carries and complies with the minimum requirements for ALS units in the State of Maryland.

These four person paramedic engines serve multiple purposes. They can respond as the first paramedics to arrive on the scene while awaiting a medic unit, thus providing emergency medical aid minutes sooner (every second does count), or they can respond to satisfy the assembly of one or two paramedics and a transport unit on the scene of a medical emergency. If the paramedic is required to upgrade the ambulance, and help render aid to the patient enroute to the hospital, the fire engine will remain in service with a staffing of three firefighters.

The four person staffing is also instrumental in significantly reducing the amount of time to place an attack line (fire hose) operational to start to extinguish a fire sooner. This was proven in a National Instituteof Standards and Technology (NIST) study and in the recent battalion drills.