SCOTT CITY'S FIRST-RESPONDER PROGRAM GETS NEW LIFE

SCOTT CITY - Nearly 10 years ago, because of concerns that the nearest ambulance was almost 15 minutes away, the Scott City Fire Department decided to begin a first-responder program. The idea was to have trained personnel at the scene of an emergency almost immediately to provide assistance until the ambulance arrived.

The program worked well, and in 1989, when the North Scott County Ambulance Service decided to station an ambulance full time in Scott City, discussions focused on whether the first-responder program was still needed.

After some talk, the consensus was clear. The first-responders were still needed -- if not to provide the first medical treatment, to provide assistance to emergency personnel.

"Initially the program was to make sure people did not lay there for an extended period of time without help," explained Bill Crump, deputy fire chief and a paramedic with the Scott City Fire Department. "But because of the good cooperation we had with the ambulance service personnel, we found the extra help at the scene improves patient care."

In some cases, Crump said the first-responder program provides additional paramedics that are needed, and at the very least it provides runners who can allow the ambulance personnel to devote all their efforts to the patient.

"The paramedics from the ambulance can just grab a medical kit and go inside. The whole principle is to keep the medic with the patient and concentrate on what he needs to concentrate on with the patient," said Crump.

"In some cases our guys just wait on the front porch and serve as runners to get things the crew needs so they don't have to leave the patient. With all the hands there, you can get a lot better patient care."

Scott City Fire Department has a full-time chief in Les Crump, and the rest of the department is made up of about 22 volunteers.

There is no posted scheduled for when firemen should report. So, when there is an emergency, everyone is called, though usually only five or six are in a position to report to the call. Crump says that at night sometimes more are available to report.

"Anytime there is a medical emergency in the Scott City area they go ahead and roll," said Crump. "It is hard for a dispatcher to tell when the call is made just how many people are needed at the scene."

Once at the scene, the paramedic in charge determines how many firemen are needed to help, and the others not needed are allowed to leave. In some cases, firemen help control traffic, get items from the ambulance, help lift people onto stretchers, or assist in administering CPR or watching monitors.

This year so far there have been 369 calls to the fire department in Scott City, Crump said, and a little more than half of those are medical emergencies.

Crump believes the first-responder program is providing a good service to the people of Scott City.

Said Crump: "We're pretty pleased with how it has worked. The first-responder role has been a big help to ambulance service personnel and to people who have had emergencies."

The Scott City Fire Department also has a rescue vehicle to do specialized rescues for the north end of Scott County. The department also has a contract with Kelso for fire protection.

About two weeks ago the fire department's capabilities for fighting fires increased greatly with the acquisition of a 1993 Spartan pumper. It has the capability to pump 1,500 gallons per minute and holds 750 gallons of water in its tank.

Purchased from the Blessing Co. in Evansville, Ind., the pumper cost $212,487.

Crump said the department now has three pumpers, which is what it had in 1985 when one was eliminated to make room for the rescue truck.

The new truck is important because it has additional climate-controlled seating that can be used as a rehab area for firefighters and is also capable of serving as a command post at a fire or emergency requiring extended effort.

The department also has a four-wheel-drive pickup that can be used for fighting brush fires.

Crump said that this winter the fire department will be rewriting some of its response procedures and will develop an instant command system for what happens at the scene to assign firefighters to specific responsibilities.

The command system also provides accountability so that the chief will know where all the firefighters are and can easily determine whether a firefighter is missing and potentially in danger.