LH EMS Chief Thanks Local EMS
By Gerard Banfill
Every year around the second or third week in May we pause to pay recognition to the Men and Woman who had dedicated their lives to the Craft of Emergency Medical Services. This is also the week the Men and Woman of EMS look forward to a free cup of coffee or a snack from an Emergency Department. Let’s face it… who does not like cake. This is also the week that I cannot thank my fellow practitioners of Lock Haven Emergency Medical Services enough for the sleepless nights, time away from family members, missed family functions and alike as they tirelessly serve the community in which they have found there calling to protect. We all come together with the same goal in mind; go home at the end of our shifts, provide the best care possible, and to try to touch the lives of those we have the honor to help during our shift.
As much as I could go on and on praising those of Lock Haven EMS, I would like to take some time and provide some context to what EMS is, how we came about and where are we going. Unlike our neighbors in the Fire Service, where the first recorded account of a “Fire Department” being organized by Benjamin Franklin in 1736, EMS is a very young concept with the need of a formal EMS system only being officially recognized by the Highway Safety Act of 1966.
EMS was born out of necessity. Prior to the Highway Safety Act, many first responders came to your time of need in hearses and had no standard of training, you were lucky if a person on the “crew” had basic first aid training. There were no standard treatment protocols, no minimum standards of training or required equipment. In the Government issued report “Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society” actually had a statement stating, “Expert consultants returning from both Korea and Vietnam have publicly asserted that, if seriously wounded, their chances of survival would be better in the zone of combat than on the average city street.” Let that sink in for a moment…
Fast forwarding to modern time, we have grown by leaps and bounds and continue to year over year. Currently, Lock Haven EMS is staffed 24/7/365 with at least one Mobile Intensive Care Unit, and many times a second transport capable unit throughout the day. This does not consider the three to four non-emergency transport vehicles operating throughout the week. Considering all calls for service in 2021, a Lock Haven EMS unit arrived at an incident in 12.5 minutes once we were dispatched by 9-1-1. This average response time includes our outlying service areas which could, on average, take as long as 45 minutes. On average, the highly trained two-person crew that arrived at your time of need will have, on average, 31 years of experience in the field of EMS. Our Mobile Intensive Care Unit, MICU for short, can provide everything from basic lifesaving skills to more advanced treatments such as cardiac monitoring, 12-Lead EKGs, IV Medications, advanced airway procedures and the ability to “shock” a heart that is not beating correctly. Working with tested and vetted protocols we can provide this treatment with a certain level of autonomy then consult with a Physician when the time presents itself.
As you read this article EMS is once again undergoing a metamorphosis. We are striving to become a more integrated member of the Health Care Community, embracing a more technology forward approach, and attempting to be more preventative than that of a reactive force. The one constant which will never waver is our commitment to the equity of health. Lock Haven EMS as well as our friends at neighboring services in the Commonwealth will not take a side as it never has. One article from Pulsara said it best, “…Treating our fellow human beings with empathy, compassion, and professionalism”. “EMS does not take a side; it never has whether it is a treating the shooting victim or the shooter, a patient in a vehicle accident or the impaired driver that caused it. We care, and must continue to care.”
In closing, myself and my fellow practitioners will enjoy a slice of cake, a free grab bag of goodies, and a cup of coffee to celebrate this EMS week. To us, this is our way of reflecting on the past year, pat ourselves on the backs, and thank each other for the wild ride we have been on. I would ask you, a member of the community in which we have chosen to serve, to do one thing; take a moment of your day and say THANK YOU! in person to an EMS worker. This simple thank you will have such a greater impact to their day then anything I could say or do. As much as we like to portray the “tough guy” persona, I will guarantee you, after taking a moment to say thank you, you will see a small glimmer in the corner of their eye… that’s not from a piece of sand.
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Lock Haven EMS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing Emergency and Non-Emergency care to Clinton and Surrounding Counties since 1942. For more information on the services provided by Lock Haven EMS, to schedule a training class, to make a donation or obtain a membership please contact the Operations Office by phoning 570-748-1611.
