With Little Fanfare

At the beginning of the month, I posted about how I'd be moving to a 12-hour day car. However, my little ambulance company is feeling the pinch of the economic downturn and we've had to cut a whole shift, as well as cut dispatchers and wheelie drivers. Because of seniority and our new shift bid process, my move to the 12-hour car was preempted by another employee, so I'll remain on 24s for the foreseeable future. As much as I was starting to look forward to the 12-hour days (sleeping in my own bed, no more midnight transfers, seven shifts per paycheck), I'm trying to find the bright side to remaining on 24s. I really like my current partner, I've started rotating through all the stations again, and everyday is a Friday (more time for golf).

Little of interest has happened in this last month, and I admit, I do feel neglectful of my blog. So I thought I'd post something juicy. Last year, I started the EMS Cyclist Program at my fire department and while it was a rocky start, I've had continued and increased interest this summer. My volunteers EMS providers are more willing to step up and the program has received a lot of positive support from local business owners and event organizers. The EMS Cyclist Program was also one of the reasons why I was awarded Firefighter of the Year for my department.

Based on this EMS Cyclist Program, my fire chief deemed it appropriate to submit my name to the Oregon Volunteer Firefighter Association for consideration of Volunteer Firefighter of the Year. Today, my wife and I just returned from Medford where last night I received my award plaque for 2009 Volunteer Firefighter of the Year.
I didn't get a chance to say thank you at the awards dinner last night, so I thought I put down a few of my thoughts here. I know that I've been recognized frequently in these last few years, and while my wife and family say it's because I work hard and deserve it, I can't help but feel so completely humbled and underserving of the praise. I feel this recognition needs to be shared with my fellow volunteers and my coworkers. I wouldn't be as lucky or successful today without them. The EMS Cyclist Program wouldn't be successful without the outstanding performance of the team members. Nothing that I do for the fire department (or my job on the ambulance) is an individual effort and I want to ensure that the efforts that I put forth benefit my organizations, not just me. So thank you to all of my fellow volunteers, fire, and EMS professionals.

Paramedic Pedal Power

This Memorial Day weekend, I got to see a personal project of mine take off with a very satisfying start. Following discussions with my fire department's EMS Officer, I put together a pilot program for a EMS Bike response team.

Bike response teams are in use by multiple fire and EMS agencies nationwide and provide an alternate (and often times faster) response time in pedestrian crowded areas such as special events, large parks, and promenades. Seaside is a very tourist friendly town with a 1.5 mile promenade and downtown core area. During holiday and summer weekends, the population can increase to 20,000 or more. During certain events, the downtown area can be closed completely to vehicle traffic and turned into a pedestrian parkway. Access to 911 calls during peak summer activity is extremely difficult by ambulance and often, we have to park a block or more away before reaching the patient.

This weekend was the program's pilot weekend and I worked the first two 6 hour shifts. My partner and I staffed a pair of bike's equipped with an AED, oxygen, IV supplies, BLS equipment, and ACLS drugs and patrolled the downtown area and prom. The response from the community and visitors was astonishingly positive. It was our goal to provide EMS service but we acted more as public relations than anything else. We gave out directions, answered questions, assisted the Seaside Police, and even helped to promote a neighboring fire department's annual fund raiser.

Unfortunately, the weekend overall was slower than anticipated and the bike team was not kept very busy. However, during the single 911 call in thier response area, they did arrive ahead of both the transporting ambulance and the fire department's rescue on a chest pain call.

Support from the police department, business owners, Seaside lifeguards, and local ambulance service has been very positive and it made for a very promising and bright weekend. Our next operational event will be the June 14th Muscle Beach Cruz car show, an event where downtown is closed to vehicle traffic.

I'm looking forward to a fantastic program this summer. I'll post more on this soon, or check on the Seaside Fire Department's website in the next week for a page to go live with all the details.