Emergency Medical Services
For over 30 years
Rogers has combined its Fire and EMS services under one
department. This allows us to pull from a large pool of
resources, knowledge base, and funding. We feel this
is the best way for our city to handle its particular EMS
needs. We utilize existing fire stations,
command, funding, and other resources to deliver time
sensitive care with exceptional equipment and responders.
All members of
RFD are cross-trained to at least the EMT level and are
capable of working on an ambulance or fire apparatus at any
given time. This ensures that everyone that responds to an
EMS emergency is a team with the same training, command
structure, and working relationship.
We
respond to an average of 4000 EMS runs per year. Our
ambulances only respond to priority 9-1-1 emergencies.
Except in rare situations, we do not respond for
inter-facility transfers or for low priority (non life
threatening) 9-1-1 calls. These calls are transferred to
other capable private ambulance services in the city. Doing
this allows us to insure that an ambulance is always close
and ready for any life threatening emergency in the City of
Rogers. The average response time for an ambulance in the
city is 4-5 minutes, compared to the national average of
9-12 minutes.
Rogers operates 6 ALS Ambulances, 1
ALS Engine, and several bike medics for large crowds
and special events. We also implement Tactical
Medics for the Special Tactics and Rescue (STAR) Team made
up of local law enforcement. EMS care starts as soon as the
9-1-1 call is placed. We utilize
E.M.D.
certified dispatchers to initiate appropriate medical care
over the phone. Our dispatch is handled by one division
that handles all of the city's emergency services. This
means that the person who answers the 9-1-1 call is seating
next to the person who dispatches the call. This saves
time and reduces the delay that may occur when you have
separate police, fire, and EMS dispatch centers.
Standard of Care
Rogers strives
to use the most state of the art technology and equipment
available to EMS today. Our ambulance coverage,
equipment, and protocols rank with among the highest EMS
agencies in the state.
Rogers EMS operates under the Northwest Arkansas
Regional Protocols but with a few exceptions.
Some equipment and procedures utilized
by RFD include:
-
Zoll E
Series Cardiac Monitor with 12-Lead, NIBP, Spo2,
Bluetooth, and Capnography
-
EZ-IO
-
CPAP
-
Mobile Data
Computer with GPS and AVL
-
Stryker
Power-PRO Stretcher
-
Automatic
Ventilator
-
STEMI Alert
System
-
Use of
ResQPOD's
-
EMD Trained Priority
Dispatchers
-
RSI
Protocols
-
Induced
Hypothermia Protocols
-
Ability to
clear c-spine
STEMI "Heart Attack" Alert
System
Coronary heart disease is the number one cause of
death in the United States. Rogers
Fire is working to decrease the mortality rate of
persons suffering from Acute Myocardial Infarctions
(AMI) or "heart attacks". Although
Paramedics carry drugs to reduce the effects of an AMI,
surgery is the first treatment of choice. Seconds mean
life and death and can greatly impact a persons quality of
life after the event. Once our Paramedics
recognize a STEMI "Heart Attack", we use our
cardiac monitors to send a patients EKG to a waiting
hospital's computer system to activate the Cath Lab. We send
this transmission from the patient's bedside.
While we treat and transport the patient the waiting
hospital is already preparing for emergency surgery. In
most cases patients completely bypass the Emergency Room and
go straight from our stretchers to the Cath Lab table
for surgery. When
using this system for this type of event treatment
starts from your house. Calling an ambulance with our
abilities is recognized as a faster way to activate the Cath Lab then traditional ER triage.
The national
goal is for heart attack victims to make it from call to
surgery in under an hour. With the help of this program,
Rogers Fire consistently gets this done in around 30
minutes.
For instance, did you know that after onset of an AMI:
30 min. = 10% loss of affected heart muscle.
60 min. = 30% loss of affected heart muscle.
2 hrs. = 50% loss of affected heart muscle.
4 hrs. = 70% loss of affected heart muscle.
6 hrs. = 90% loss of affected heart muscle.
24hrs. = 100% loss of affected heart muscle.
The most
relevant marker of time that has passed is the patient's
onset of pain. Recognizing pain and other signs of an
AMI, and then calling 911 does not just mean the
difference between "life and death"- it can have a huge
impact on the quality of life for the patient after the
event. After an AMI with loss of heart muscle, some
persons are unable to walk short distances or engage in
any physical activity.
Learn more
about how to recognize and react to a Heart Attack,
Stroke, or Cardiac Arrest.
CLICK HERE
Recent
Changes
Rapid Sequence Intubation: Rogers Fire is implementing
RSI (new to the
state of Arkansas) protocols.
This is an advanced medical
procedure, designed for expeditious intubation of persons
unable to control their own airways, but who are still too
neurologically intact to accept an intubation tube. It is
accomplished by administrating a paralyzing agent along with
a few sedatives. Patients awake with no memory of the event
and no long term effects. This is only used in extreme
situations where it means the difference between life and
death. A more common practice of this procedure is in the
operating room of a hospital. RSI is used to put
people "under" just before surgery in some cases.
Induced Hypothermia:
Therapeutic Hypothermia is a medical treatment that
lowers a patient's body temperature in order to help
reduce the risk of ischemic injury to tissue following a
period of insufficient blood flow. Rogers Fire currently
utilizes this procedure for patients post cardiac
arrest with return of spontaneous pulse. This procedure
gives these people a 40% better chance of survival.
Patients who receive this treatment have a much better
chance of leaving the hospital with little to no long
term effects. Induced hypothermia is started by Rogers
EMS with chilled IV fluids and is continued by local hospitals who have specialized equipment to keep the
patient in this state. Without the cooperative effort of
local hospitals it would not be practical for us to initiate this
treatment.
EMS Advisory Committee
the EMSAC is
comprised of paramedics from all shifts and a variety of
ranks. EMS related equipment, training, and protocols are
determined and reviewed in monthly meetings. In addition this
committee reviews personnel performance and run reports.
EMS Advisory Committee Members
|
Jerabeck, Joseph |
Hoyer, Jeremey |
Qualls, Dusty |
| Humphery,
Tony |
Thompson,
Cliff |
Storm, David |
| Warzecha,
Eric |
Teetzen,
Chad |
|
|
