EMS: A Proud Partner in Your Community

By Barb Whedbee, EMS Coordinator

When an emergency happens, you call 911. That action sets protocols into motion that bring emergency providers to the situation that prompted the call. Whether you need police, fire, or EMS, the dispatcher at McDonough County 911 or at the Office of Public Safety on the Western Illinois University campus, follows protocols to send appropriate resources to the location of the call. Paid and volunteer fire departments have trained men and women to provide emergency medical services for medical or trauma situations. Whatever the nature of the call, trained providers manage the call until the ambulance arrives on the scene.

These first responder vehicles do not transport patients but have much of the same equipment that ambulances carry to provide medical care. They carry spine boards, bandages, splints, and an AED to deliver pre-hospital care. The trained responders also assess vital signs and gather medical information, managing the situation until ambulance personnel assume care of the patient.

When the ambulance arrives, the patient is loaded and prepared for transport to the hospital. Paramedics continue pre-hospital care, manage medical conditions, and provide supportive care during transport to the hospital. They may administer medications to manage pain, seizures, diabetes, and many other situations. Treatment and technology advances enable them to transmit 12-lead EKGs to the hospital to identify time-sensitive situations called STEMI (St-elevation myocardial infarction) and brain injury, commonly called stroke or CVA. These situations mandate timely recognition of symptoms to facilitate transport to the appropriate facility for definitive advanced level care.

Ambulance transport has changed from the days when a hearse took the patient to the hospital. There was no pre-hospital care provided then. Today ambulance and rescue squad providers bring hospital care to the setting where emergencies occur. Pre-hospital care providers manage life threats, assess the patient’s condition, and provide supportive care prior to and during transport to the hospital. These providers devote energy to practicing skills and learning new ones as recommended treatment options change. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week is May 17-23. I challenge you to say thanks to your dispatch, fire, police, and EMS providers, including volunteer and paid fire department personnel, ambulance providers, and emergency department personnel because they all have a role in providing emergent care to you and your family.