DIAL 9-1-1 FOR ALL YOUR EMERGENCY NEEDS by the Dubuque Fire Department
Because this month is fire prevention month, we are reminded that in today’s post 9/11 environment fire departments are not just here to put out fires. One of the many duties of the Dubuque Fire Department is that of emergency medical response. Medical response made up 73% of all calls for Fiscal Year 2014 (FY2014). The Dubuque Fire Department provides four ambulances at two separate stations here in the city. All of the Dubuque Fire ambulances are advanced cardiac life support or ACLS ambulances. This means we are able to bring the hospital’s ER to you. Additionally, through the city’s 28E Mutual Agreement Policy with the area’s other fire departments, we have access to an additional 17 ambulances. What this means to the community is that you can expect a timely response to your emergency when calling 9-1-1. Dubuque Fire Department has 89 uniformed personnel. Of those, 76 members are certified as Paramedics. These are the two highest levels of certification in the Emergency Medical Services. On any average day you can expect at least 20 Paramedics on duty protecting you and your loved ones. When you dial 9-1-1 during your medical emergency, highly trained emergency dispatchers will answer your call. The Dispatchers have protocols that tell them what level of response your emergency will require. The highest level is called a “code 1 call”. This is when all responding vehicles travel to the emergency scene with their lights and sirens running. The Fire Department also responds to non-emergency calls
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such as transfers between facilities. For non-emergency calls the response is still with the same level of expertise and skills but without the lights and sirens. During a “code 1 call” we will respond with an ambulance, a first response district fire truck, and a command vehicle. This equates to 6-7 personnel. At times we have been asked, “Why are there so many Firefighters here?” It is explained like this: we bring the ER to you. A medical emergency in the ER would require a respiratory tech, a nurse starting an IV, a nurse giving medications, a nurse documenting the incident, someone doing CPR, and a doctor running the overall call. We do a lot of that plus we provide any assistance that the patient’s family, friends, or other loved ones on scene may need during the emergency. The overall reason for additional manpower is safety and comfort of the patient. In the past, we have used 6 or more personnel just to lift a patient. This prevents any additional discomfort caused to the patient on the scene. Did you know that the national survivability of full cardiac arrest according to the National Heart Assocation in 2013 was around 9.5%? Your Dubuque Fire Department prides itself with an outstanding 14.29% cardiac arrest survivability for fiscal year 2015. These figures are a testament to our highly effective skills we have developed and honed through our extensive training. A 9-1-1 caller will receive medical personnel that are highly trained and professional, as well as compassionate to the needs of the patient and their loved ones. The Fire Department is funded by property taxes. Revenue generated by the fees collected from the ambulance helps offset the property tax need for the Fire Department. Many of the ambulance fees are paid by insurance and Medicare. The Dubuque Fire Department’s mission statement says it all: “To Protect, Assist, and Educate our Community and Visitors with Pride, Skill, and Compassion.” Although we believe prevention and education will always be our most important duties, giving great customer service during your time of need is vital to our mission. Any member of the Dubuque community can expect nothing but the best when they dial 9-1-1 for their medical needs.
Centralia/Peosta Fire & EMS
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…building meaningful lives for persons with disabilities! •–•–•–•–•–•–•–•–•–•–•–•–• Thank you to all local firefighters for your support of Hills & Dales & the community.
Thank You, Firefighters & EMTs!
FRONT ROW, L-R: Meghan Gotto, Dean Gasper, Fred Hentges, Dick Avenarius, Mike Vaughan, Mark Weitz, Jeremy Kaiser MIDDLE ROW, L-R: Trisha Hohnecker, Marlene Kalb, Emily Koetz, Mary Koetz, Jerry Spiegel BACK ROW, L-R: Karl Oberbroeckling, Andrew Koetz, Gary Switzer, Rick Block, Jack Koetz (Chief), Ray Stephan, Brandon Rondeau, Jason Pellymonter, Ron Lueken NOT PICTURED: Scott Brachman, Ron Fluhr, Megan Hart-Hofstetter, Greg Hoefer, Sam Janecke, Rob Klaren, Jim Koetz, Michael Koetz, Chris Lester, Dan Neenan, Andrew Ney, Marvin Ney, Brian Recker, Ruben Roberts, Tim Schmidt, Andy Sprengelmeyer, Tom Straka
Key West Fire Department
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