MEDICAL ASSIST CALLS GIVE INCREASED DIVIDEND TO TAX INVESTMENT

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department has taken on a whole new mission -- without costing taxpayers more money or demanding increased staff. The department now answers medical assistance calls in the city in an attempt to better medical emergency response times.

Initiated in Cape Girardeau by new fire chief Robert L. Ridgeway, the program's success can be measured in live's saved. In a number of medical emergencies -- especially when victims have stopped breathing -- seconds do count. Ridgeway points out that emergency personnel have four to six minutes to resuscitate a person who has stopped breathing before affects on the body become irreversible.

The fire department is working side by side with the Cape County Private Ambulance Service. It's not a matter of one usurping the authority of another. Earlier misunderstandings over dispatching have been resolved. Now these agencies put forth an admirable example of cooperation for the public good.

All 911 calls are automatically routed through a central dispatching system anyway. It's at that point, both the fire department and ambulance are notified. Since the program began May 21, medical assistance calls have nearly doubled the responses made by the fire department each day. Calls are now averaging about 100 each month.

The program makes sense for the city. With four stations strategically located throughout the city, fire department average response times are under four minutes. Department personnel have also been extensively trained in medical response. The department current staffs four paramedics and 16 emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Remaining members of the department are certified first responders, including the fire chief.

The fire department's new role should not reflect badly on the ambulance service. The service, which is taxpayer assisted, is doing an first-rate job. The quicker response time of the first department will only augment the ambulance service's response. Citizens must remember that firemen should not be called in place of the ambulance. The ambulance service remains the transporting authority with vehicles outfitted with more advanced medical equipment.

The fire department utilizes existing personnel for the medical assist calls. The department purchased about $9,000 worth of medical equipment for the trucks, and other more costly pieces have been donated outright to the department or purchased with funds donated by the community. Each firetruck now has one compartment designated for medical equipment.

Previously, firefighters carried some medical equipment, but certainly not to the extent they do now. These daily practice calls will also hone firefighters medical skills. And that knowledge can be put to use when citizens are injured by fires.

Chief Ridgeway says the responder program may lead to the future formation of Paramedic Engine Companies. This would allow firefighters to carry advanced life support equipment on their trucks. We should just ensure that we don't spend tax dollars for duplicated services.

The firefighters have taken this new responsibility -- and training -- in stride. That's a credit to the firemen who serve our city. It's certainly represents an increased dividend on our taxpayer investment.