SOME FIREFIGHTERS WILL BE PARAMEDICS.Byline: David Greenberg The creator of this article, or someone who has substantially contributed to it, may have a conflict of interest regarding its subject matter. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Staff Writer VENTURA - To speed up response time and improve emergency services emergency services Emergency care '…services …necessary to prevent death or serious impairment of health and, because of the danger to life or health, require the use of the most accessible hospital available and equipped to furnish those services' , Ventura County supervisors agreed Tuesday to train firefighters as paramedics and have the Fire Protection District dispatch ambulance calls. The new plan will allow as many as two dozen firefighters to learn to administer drugs and intravenous fluids, insert breathing tubes and perform other advanced paramedic par·a·med·ic n. A person who is trained to give emergency medical treatment or assist medical professionals. paramedic duties. Currently, most of Ventura County's 425 firefighters are trained only to perform basic life-support services, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), emergency procedure used to treat victims of cardiac and respiratory arrest. CPR can be done in a hospital with drugs and special equipment or as a first-aid technique. , delivering defibrillator defibrillator, device that delivers an electrical shock to the heart in order to stop certain forms of rapid heart rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias). The shock changes a fibrillation to an organized rhythm or changes a very rapid and ineffective cardiac rhythm to a shocks for heart attack victims and stabilizing broken bones This article or section has multiple issues: * It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by citing reliable sources. * It needs to be expanded. Please help [ improve the article] or discuss these issues on the talk page. . In addition, American Medical Response American Medical Response, Inc. (AMR) is the largest private ambulance provider in the United States. AMR and EmCare are wholly owned subsidiaries of EMSC L.P., an emergency management company held by the investment firm Onex. AMR is based out of Greenwood Village, Colorado. will pay the county fire district $360,000 annually to dispatch ambulance calls. ``Through the synergy of the two agencies working together, the public wins,'' said fire Chief Bob Roper. ``They receive quicker and more enhanced patient care.'' Only former paramedics now employed as firefighters will go through an eight-week accreditation process to ensure their life-saving skills are up to par. The first 14 applicants, already state-certified, will begin training next month, with an additional 16 scheduled to join the system within three years. The first squads, each containing two firefighter-paramedics per shift, will be stationed in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, with plans to expand throughout the fire district's coverage area. Because they are also firefighters, those personnel will be able to enter hazardous situations such as collapsed buildings or toxic chemical spills - feats prohibited by law for paramedics. Currently, 72 percent of all calls to fire officials involve the need for medical assistance, records show. ``The public will be better served,'' said Supervisor Susan Lacey. ``It's affordable. It's doable.'' Purchase and upkeep of new paramedic equipment, as well as training expenses, would cost $1.44 million this fiscal year, $1.94 million in 2001-02, $2.17 million in fiscal year 2002-03 and $2.23 million in 2003-04. Fire officials expect the new dispatching system will reduce response times, although no specific reduction has been pinpointed. Ambulances contracted by the county are expected to arrive at the scene within 8 1/2 minutes. |
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