December 30, 1998

Medical aid can arrive fast by fire engine

       Heart attack victims in the White River Township Fire Department’s area have a greater chance of survival because of a new paramedic program.  Now, medical professionals are capable of arriving at most residents’ homes within five minutes.  “That was our goal for 1997,” said Lt. Troy Wymer, the department’s spokesman.  “We wanted to deliver the same paramedic service throughout our district.”  The paramedic program is the first for a fire department in Johnson County.  Two private ambulance services, Rural/Metro and EMAS, operate with a paramedic on board in the county, but White River’s venture is the first for a pubic agency.  The White River department’s service area reaches south from the Johnson-Marion county line to Stones Crossing Road and from Center Line Road west to the Morgan County line.

         The program officially started January 1, Wymer said.  “We are now providing the advanced service within five minutes for 95 percent of our runs.”  The National Heart Association says heart attack victims should receive advanced life support within four to six minutes after the heart and breathing stops, Wymer explained.  One-fourth of the department’s 60 firefighters are paramedics.  At least one paramedic is on duty during every shift.  All of the firefighters are emergency medical technicians, or EMTs.

         Paramedics may administer drugs and are trained in more advanced lifesaving measures that EMTs.  To help get cnough paramedics, White River has hired them from fire departments in Marion County, including Washington and Warren townships, and from Wishard Ambulance Service.  One of the paramedics is from Avon’s Fire Department in Hendricks County.  “These are seasoned paramedics that have been trained to deliver narcotic drugs for pain, drugs for allergic reactions and drugs to restart the heart’s electrical activity,” Wymer said.

         Despite delivering the paramedic service, the department does not operate an ambulance to take patients to the hospital.  Paramedics ride on the responding fire engine.  “The patients still are transported to area hospitals by our contracted ambulance company,” Wymer said.  Chief Michael Dutton’s philosophy is to deliver high-quality service to area residents.  “He wants us to provide our customers the highest level of emergency care they can get, away from the hospital or doctor’s office,” Wymer said.  “And that’s what we are delivering.”  The Fire Department entered an agreement with EMAS six months ago to transport its patients.  As part of that, EMAS provides a fulltime paramedic around the clock to one of the two fire stations.  Now there are at least two paramedics on duty every day, Wymer said.  (Reprinted with permission from the Indianapolis Star)

  

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