Public Awareness Message

911 activation and Emergency Medical Services (what you should know)

• A call taker will provide pre-arrival instructions until help arrives.
• A police officer will likely arrive first to maintain order and ensure everyone’s safety in uncontrolled environments.  Police are often trained in first aid.
• You can count on the quickest possible response from our closest available units.
• Remember to pull over and stop your vehicle when you see or hear us approaching.

 A team of medical professionals will arrive at the emergency scene as quickly and safely as possible.  The personnel who make up the team consist of a basic level Emergency Medical Technician/driver, and a highly trained Paramedic who is educated in emergency medicine. The team is designed to deliver optimal pre-hospital care, and is capable of providing Advanced Life Support at an efficient pace in order to stabilize medical and traumatic emergencies. 

 The medical team is tasked with quickly assessing and de-escalating each situation to determine its nature, and simultaneously perform interventions to preserve or resuscitate life.  If necessary, the Patient will be transported to the closest appropriate hospital.  The destination decision is based on many factors including type and severity of injury or illness, and the facilities available resources to properly manage the condition.  Medical and traumatic emergencies are a grim and undesirable fact of humanity.  During such events, emotions of family and bystanders are understandably heightened.  Please rest assured that the best interest of the Patient is priority, cooperation by all who are involved is of most importance to the best possible outcome for the Patient.

Some tips on being a helpful part of an emergency scene:

• Do make an effort to control emotion and stay calm.
• Do answer questions as directly and accurately as possible with relevance to events of the incident.
• Do not crowd the scene, speak-over others, direct or demand providers.  Please remember, this is our daily job and professional field of practice.  
   

Some information you can expect to be requested by your Paramedic in addition to events of the emergency. 

Personal demographics
Name, age, date of birth, weight, address, phone number, social security number, primary care physician’s name. 

Medical History
Major medical conditions (heart and lung disease, diabetes).  Past medical problems (heart attacks, strokes, surgeries).

Current Medications
We must be aware of all current medications -  Names, dosages, regimens. Including over-the-counter and herbal/holistic health.

Allergies to medication
Any known allergies or hypersensitivity.  The specific description of the reactions.

All of this information must be obtained quickly upon contact, as it serves to complete our assessment of the condition and is needed to safely continue the treatment course.  The most accurate and effective way to communicate a majority of the information to your provider is a pre-written list printed on a simple piece of paper or flash card. 

In addition to verbal information gathering, you should expect a generalized physical examination and a focused exam of involved anatomic or physiologic systems using advanced diagnostic equipment such as cardiac monitoring.  The assessments will be performed by your providers with preservation of dignity and privacy.  In order to provide life threat interventions, an array of various advanced and sometimes invasive procedures may be employed. The interventions are a large part of what truly makes a field Medic valuable, and center on airway control, cardiac defibrillation, cardio-version, transcutaneous cardiac pacing, intravenous therapy, and emergency pharmacology. 

The combination of careful clinical decision making and timely intervention is fundamental to the ability of the Paramedic to sustain life.  With the public’s cooperation, we can better fulfill our goal of reducing morbidity and mortality in our community.  Together, we can protect our most valued and precious gifts of life and health.  Be safe!

 Sincerely,           

      -  Your Paramedics at Plymouth Community Ambulance Association