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"We called for an
ambulance; why is there a fire engine in my driveway?"
Fire departments have
been responding to accidents and medical emergencies for
decades; however many citizens are still puzzled about
the critical role firefighters play in such situations.
A common perception is
that a firefighter's primary tool is a fire hose and an
ax. The reality is that TVF&R firefighters are equally
familiar with administering electric shock and drugs to
restart a heart; inserting a breathing tube; or
extricating an accident victim from a crushed vehicle
while simultaneously treating their injuries. In fact,
70% of our of calls are for medical emergencies.
When a heart stops, or a
serious injury occurs...seconds count. Given TVF&R's
network of 22 strategically located
fire stations, the same
response time advantage that exists for fires also
exists for medical emergencies. While our local
ambulance partners
Metro
West Ambulance and
American
Medical Response also respond to these calls, a fire
unit can frequently get to the scene first, providing
critical care and "stopping the clock."
Additionally, more
serious medical emergencies require a full team of
responders. Consider cardiac arrest: while two people
perform CPR, others establish IVs, set up a heart
monitor, administer drugs, and bring a gurney to the
patient's side for transport.
Tualatin Valley Fire &
Rescue has always taken its role in Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) as seriously as its commitment to
firefighting. Every uniformed member of our department
is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and
nearly 60% are certified paramedics.
 In 1997, TVF&R took this
commitment one step further by placing additional
equipment on each apparatus and assigning a
firefighter/EMT-paramedic to every station, on every shift.
This ensures that each and every crew can deliver
advanced life support on every call -- 24/7.
The next time you see a fire engine
responding to an incident, look at the firefighters in
the cab. If they're wearing their heavy fire gear,
they're going to a fire. If they are in shirtsleeves,
it's a safe bet they are headed for a medical emergency. |
