Elsewhere in this issue of Hot Notes you will read about the training that department members undergo. I'd like to take this thought one step further and talk about why we devote so much time to training and why we place such an emphasis on delivering the highest possible level of service.
The survival rate for heart attack victims significantly increases when, in addition to basic CPR, they have timely access to medical aid that includes defibrillation and advanced airway management, i.e. intubation. In San Diego County, only paramedics or EMTs with D/C (defibrillation/combitube) certification can provide this level of care in the field. We take pride in the fact that all four of the PMVFD EMTs have undergone extensive study and carry this advanced certification.
We've all heard about the "golden hour" - the time elapsed from occurrence of trauma, such as an auto accident, to delivery of the patient into the hands of surgeons. A significant part of our PMVFD training focuses on respecting that golden hour. PMVFD firefighters train in the intricacies of rescue and extraction, which include emergency vehicle operations, stabilizing and dismantling wrecked vehicles, safe patient access and removal from the accident scene, fuel spill management and fire suppression.
But why should our tiny community support its own fire/rescue service?
Sycuan Fire provides ambulance service on Palomar Mountain. Staffed by EMT-D/C certified responders, the exact certification of our PMVFD volunteers, the Sycuan ambulance averages 25 minutes when responding to the community from its station at Lake Henshaw. And the Sycuan ambulance may be on another call or dropping off a patient at the hospital when needed on the Mountain, in which case it can take up to an hour and more for another ambulance to arrive. In contrast, the PMVFD duty officer arrives on the scene in an average of eight minutes and an engine is there in under 11 minutes. By the way, while staffed with well-trained EMT D/C responders, the Sycuan ambulance does not carry the equipment needed for rescue or extrication, as does the PMVFD.
Please consider the consequences to heart attack or accident victims during those precious and dangerous minutes (or hour) while they await Sycuan mbulance. As a department, we have committed ourselves to the effort required of providing the highest possible level of service in the timeliest manner. We think the Mountain deserves nothing less.