FD Response to Assist with CPR

[firedude 985]

Do any fire departments, that don’t normally respond to EMS calls, respond to assist EMS for CPR? In many communities where EMS might be coming from a far distance or can’t assemble a crew fast enough, a fire department could be first on scene and adequately maintain compressions and shock with an AED prior to the arrival of a bus. I know many PDs respond but the fire department can provide greater manpower (usually) and start professional CPR faster. Even if PD does respond, it’s usually only 1 or 2 officers. And Pre-arrival instruction CPR isn't always as effective as CPR done by a CPR certified responder. This of course assumes that your firefighters have a minimum of CPR/AED for the professional rescuer. Any opinions?

[antiquefirelt 994]

I know many PDs respond but the fire department can provide greater manpower (usually) and start professional CPR faster. Even if PD does respond, it’s usually only 1 or 2 officers.

I'm not sure why one wouldn't consider LEO's trained in CPR to be equal to non-EMS firefighters at providing CPR? In our case, we do provide EMS, thus all firefighters are also advanced EMS providers (EMT-I or medics) but we always send extra hands on any unconscious/unresponsive calls to ensure the patient has the best chance at a positive outcome. This allows for far less interrupted CPR.

[grumpyff 1,159]

In Putnam County, Echo Level calls which encompass CPR calls automatically gets the FD dispatched to provide additional manpower along with EMS. Most of the FD's here provide EMS (there are a few exceptions), but so far I have not heard any complaints about it. So far we have been dispatched a few times, the extra hands makes it easier to get equipment in and out. Also lets the EMTs assist the medic more efficiently if someone else who is already trained in CPR, is doing the compressions/respirations

Edited December 6, 2012 by grumpyff

[50-65 205]

Do any fire departments, that don’t normally respond to EMS calls, respond to assist EMS for CPR? In many communities where EMS might be coming from a far distance or can’t assemble a crew fast enough, a fire department could be first on scene and adequately maintain compressions and shock with an AED prior to the arrival of a bus. I know many PDs respond but the fire department can provide greater manpower (usually) and start professional CPR faster. Even if PD does respond, it’s usually only 1 or 2 officers. And Pre-arrival instruction CPR isn't always as effective as CPR done by a CPR certified responder. This of course assumes that your firefighters have a minimum of CPR/AED for the professional rescuer. Any opinions?

When we used to do EMS calls we were dispatched along with EMS to cardiac calls. When we stopped regular response to EMS calls, we were still. on occassion, called when EMS was delayed. With multiple years of having an anti-ems administration (chiefs), we only have 2 active members that are CPR/AED qualified. Having given up our BLSFR status and state number, not having a medical director, and no trained members, we have removed all but basic first-aid equipment from our apparatus.

In our district, if you or a loved one is having a heart attack, you better hope that it is between 6a-6p when the paid volly crew is on, or that MLSS actually has a crew in town and didn't pull them to cover a contracted area. Good luck getting one of the 3 or 4 PD that might be available if they're not tied up on something else. None of the 5 FD's in our town respond to EMS calls.

[v85 212]

Washingtonville FD does, just heard them paged for that a little bit ago

[firemoose827 324]

Police Officers around my area are trained as First Responders when they go through their boot camp, and they maintain CPR certs and their cars are stocked with jump bags, O2, and AED as well as the fire extinguisher that never gets used. Local village LEO's and Sherrifs and State Troopers, depending on where you live, are dispatched simultaneously to all fire/ems calls for safety reasons as well as getting CPR and other life saving treatments like bandaging and c-spine immobilization started as well as securing the scene. Their help and rapid response times are a godsend for my area and most times improve the outcome of the patient.

We are a FD based EMS squad but not all of our members have to be in EMS. We only have 3 EMT's in our squad and rely heavily on auto-mutual aid from surrounding squads and our paid EMS Coordinators/Paramedics. There have been quite a few times where the EMS coordinators have ridden on our rig as the crew chief because we couldnt get an EMT. We (as Firefighters) respond with EMS to assist with lifting and grabbing equipment and driving the rig. Not all of us are CPR certified though and most want nothing to do with EMS (they get queezy at the sight of blood, injuries, and above all...childbirth!) We dont have to be toned out, if we hear the EMS call and are available we will respond to help the crew with whatever they need. I used to be an EMT-CC, and am a former EMS Captain and worked 11 years for a paid EMS crew but have lost the desire to do that stuff any more. I will respond and help where I can and have been known to take the occaisional vital signs for the EMT if they are swamped, or set up an IV line for the medic that taught me my EMT-CC class and set up the leads for the ECG and ofcourse thump on chests.

[JetPhoto 626]

Sorry to go off topic but why wouldn't you want to be trained in at least CPR???? You may need it on a family member or friend.

[Ging599 13]

Our FD is one of the few exceptions that Grumpy mentioned in Putnam County that does not provide EMS. At the request of our local VAC, (and false assurances that there very few CPR calls that they actually go on), we signed on with the Echo level policy that Grumpy described above and now respond with EMS on CPR calls. Our department was one of the first to be activated with EMS once the policy took effect and have gone on at least 7 such calls since it was implemented. We require that members that go on these calls are a minimum of CPR/AED certified. So far there seems to be positive feedback from the VAC as they appreciate the extra hands on scene.

Edited December 10, 2012 by Ging599