All Jackson fire crews certified to give advanced life support

All three of Jackson Fire and Rescue crews are now certified to provide advanced life support.

The move gives the department the ability to offer medication or an IV before an ambulance arrives on the scene, said Capt. Todd Newman, Emergency Medical Services officer.

Until firefighter Ryan Davie received his certification two weeks ago, the fire department had only two personnel who could provide advanced life support on two of its three crews. Newman said adding a third paramedic is an important milestone for the fire department.

"Most of the time our crews are the first ones to arrive on the scene," Newman said. "The Cape Girardeau County Private Ambulance may not be as close as we are at all times, so we're able to provide care that makes a difference time-wise when a minute can be a big factor.

"The sooner the treatment can be started the better. The [more] time elapses, the less chance they have at times, especially if they're in full cardiac arrest or not breathing."

All firefighters on the department are emergency medical technicians. However, the main difference is those certified in advanced life support are allowed to administer IVs and medications. An EMT can only perform basic first aid such as controlling bleeding, stabilizing a victim of a motor vehicle accident or performing CPR, Newman said.

To earn certification as a paramedic, the Jackson firefighters first took anatomy and physiology and math classes. Then they completed additional classes that included working on an ambulance and in an emergency room.

The final step was passing a computer-based test and an exam that simulated different scenarios a paramedic may face on the field.

"We did this on our days off, so for a while you're basically not getting any days off while completing this training," Newman said.

Fire chief Jason Mouser said the move is welcomed in a time when the department is experiencing an increasing trend of medical calls.

In 2009, 665 of 1,295 calls firemen responded to were medical calls.

That's an increase from the 651 medical of the 1,158 overall calls firemen responded to in 2008.

"This gives us better capability in serving those who need medical help on the scene in certain situations," Mouser said. "We're pretty excited to be able to now have all three crews with a paramedic and that helps improve this service to our area."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

243-6635

Pertinent address:

503 S. Hope St., Jackson, MO