By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
The modern rescue vehicle – like everything else – is connected more and more to an online world that enables them to send, receive, and share data in ways that can improve efficiency and saves lives. But this technology doesn’t come without a cost. It can be expensive to outfit all of the vehicles an ambulance service has to keep on the road.
To purchase new stretchers, compression devices, and heart monitors from Stryker this year, the ambulance service took out a loan with Commercial Bank.
But for their new mobile data terminals, executive director Rick Loperfido told the board, they’ve secured a grant to cover the costs. Loperfido told the board during their June meeting that he had applied for and received a $9,500 grant from TC Energy for the installation of the mobile data terminals in all of their front-line vehicles. This also includes the capability of transferring their laptop computers into other trucks as needed.
“(These data terminals) will enhance our connection with our dispatch center, to receive call data and routing to call locations with better mapping and location information,” Loperfido explained. “It will also provide additional information to our crews on truck locations throughout the county, to see where all of our ambulances are at any moment.”
The devices, which are identical to those used by law enforcement, Loperfido said, will help dispatchers guide ambulances to a location with greater accuracy as well as coordinate and time runs more efficiently.
In related news Loperfido also reported on shipment of their remaining Stryker equipment. The service took delivery of new stretchers and chest compression devices earlier in the year, but are still awaiting delivery of their seven new LP-15 heart monitors. Loperfido reported to the board that they expect delivery of those devices “sometime in late summer.”
Those heart monitors take advantage of the same on-board wi-fi system at the data terminals to transmit vital signs and other information directly to hospital staff as patients are en route to the hospital.
Loperfido also reported on vehicle maintenance and status, discussions with King’s Daughter’s on concerns about calls to their Urgent Care facility, and ongoing staffing issues.
Loperfido said while they are “still very short-staffed with paramedics” they have at least one returning to service from injury and they’ve hired another full-time and another part-time paramedic who are expected to start soon. They’ve also added some part-time EMTs, and “are in fairly good shape” with their current full-time EMT staff, he reported.
He also gave an updated on staff training for performing “surgical cricothyrotomy” on patients with a “critical airway blockage.”
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
