December 30, 1997

Starting a trend

       Paramedics will now be on board the fire engines when the White River Township Fire Department rushes to emergencies.  Starting Jan. 1, 15 firefighters who are cross-trained as paramedics will assume their double duties.  “Paramedic service is the highest level of pre-hospital treatment given,” said Lt. Troy Wymer, spokesman for the fire department.  Many firefighters are cross- trained as emergency medical technicians, but paramedics have a greater level of medical training — 1,100 to 1,300 hours — and they can perform procedures that firefighter-EMTs cannot.  For example, paramedics can administer drugs to restart a patient’s heart, intubate the patient — place a tube into the throat for breathing — or inject an accident victim with morphine.  The change means that White River Township will be the first county fire department to utilize paramedic-firefighters, Wymer said. It was done partly to help the fire department better respond to medical emergencies in the rapidly growing township. This year, the department responded to approximately 1,300 runs; and in 1998, that total is expected to increase by 250 runs, Wymer said.  There is already a paramedic on board the ambulance that White River Township uses (belonging to the private ambulance company EMAS). But another paramedic on a fire engine might reach the scene a few moments before the ambulance, which is crucial in an emergency.  At least one of the paramedic-firefighters will be available at all times. Minor modifications have been made to Engine 51, located at fire headquarters at 1086 S. Runyon Road, and to Engine 52, based out of Station 2 at 398 Meridian Parke Drive, to carry the medications paramedics administer.  The plan was developed by Fire Chief Mike Dutton, Division Chief Scott Cassin and EMS Lt. Joel Thacker.  To officially start paramedic fire service, the department had to be certified by the state fire marshal’s office inspector. That happened Monday.  No additional training costs were necessary, Wymer said. Eleven of the WRT firefighters already had paramedic training through their work for other fire departments.  Another four paramedic- trained firefighters have been hired to fill four vacancies.  The department didn’t seek certification, however, until it had enough paramedic-firefighters to staff the fire engines 24 hours a day.  “We needed to get to 15 to be comfortable in our staffing,” Wymer said.  “Eleven would be stretching it.”  Due to the greater qualifications required, paramedic-firefighters will receive an additional $1,500 annual stipend on top of their regular pay, he said.  White River Township has 60 paid firefighters and 20 reserve volunteers.  For more information about the paramedic service, contact the fire department’s Website at www.wrfd.org.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

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