Volunteer EMS for Civilian SAR group

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Permalink Reply by Mike Motti on December 31, 2008 at 12:22pm

Our volunteer SAR team is a State certified ambulance service. A SAR team without a medical component is like a dog chasing a car. Doesn't know what to do with it when it catches one. Consider wilderness medicine training for both SAR team members and EMS personnel who will respond with them. EMS in the woods is a lot different then on the street. Take a course from SOLO, NOLS or Wilderness Medical Associates to learn more. Disclaimer: I am an instructor for Wilderness Medical Associates.

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Permalink Reply by Jodi on February 16, 2009 at 4:29am

I am currently putting together a SAR medical team and am starting from the ground up. We have only a few members from out side our County as we do not have a Jr College to recruit from. All the EMS is taught more than 30 miles away and in order to be an EMT B you have to go through 4 inch book on our counties Protocols. National Registry is not acknowledged here. If you want to work here you start somewhere else. Equipment and supplies are hard to find, even broken items. Our roller bandages were made and distributed in 1959. No lie.

But when we get a call out we work hard. One rescue I personal patched up and sent two by ambulance and 14 by POV. Total count of injured personal was 23. On ONE rescue. All were volunteers.

Broken T/B with no distal pulses. Flailed chest at t 5-8. Amazing injuries with little equipment and lots of our own money on the line. I just lost a hare traction splint that I know is gone. But you do what you can for the Patient.

You do good things. I think you should be commended.

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Permalink Reply by Jodi on February 23, 2009 at 1:41am

Our Thurston County Sherriff Office has required from our SAR units, proof that an EMS unit is needed in Search and Rescue.
The standard ALS and BLS response times in the 10 minutes in town. Rural is 30 minutes on the average.

More in the wilderness areas, by up to a hour.

Our aim is to assist the victims of the rescue as soon as possible. We would like feed back as to what your area does with respect to this issue.

Our average search is 8 to 24 hours long. With no EMS other than a few First aid People, we wanted to advance our training in responses for our victims. The care needed was more advanced than a first aid level. We received the Green light over 6 months ago to attend a county provided EMT Training.
We have worked to address the protocols in our jurisdiction.

Now 5 days before EMT training starts the SO wants us to do an essay and prove our worth or no training!

We do not transport but provide an on site EMS till a more Advanced transport arrives. Can you help with your counties EMS and SAR protocols? STATS would be also welcomed. Email me at AzTRAUMAMOMMA@aol.com

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Permalink Reply by Tom Sasso on February 24, 2009 at 10:52pm

Jodi Ma'am:
This is a hard one to answer briefly... I think I'll do some homework and email you directly when I get more time.
Don't think it applies because of the difference in County size, but when I was on the San Diego (CA) Sheriif's SAR team, we had a medical unit complete with ambulance. Also everyone on the team went through a 4-6 month SAR academy which included 1st responder (40 hours medical training). Many were Wilderness EMTs. We had EMTs, Paramedics, RNs & a few MDs. That didn't count the Mountian Rescue team and BORSTAR. Point is, we obviously thought it a nessassary component. You can look at the San Diego Sheriff's SAR website, the medical unit has thier own page... you could contact them as well.
The SAR team where I am now is a sub-team of Virginia Beach Rescue (EMS) Squad and so obviously every member is an EMT of better.
I guess the biggest medical point is TIME! I could go into each medical condition from trauma, cardiac, dehydration, heat exhausion etc... and give you the physiology of why they are all time dependent conditions and require immediate medical care, but that is itself an EMT course. There is really no difference from SAR and EMS in terms of need due to time. EMS exists because it decreases the time a person waits for treatment (vs. waiting to get to the ER/hospital). If medical conditions didn't need immediate care then EMS and EMTs wouldn't exist, and it wouldn't be called "Emergency" services. As for SAR, well without medical care it becomes a lot harder to be called RESCUE. I think Johnny said it best (or was it Roy) when considering to go to Medic School in the premere of "Emergency"... "Rescue Hell, all I did was transport a dead body". This was the Rescue Fire-fighter realizing the need for medical care to be a rescue unit.
Ask your Sheriff this, if his family member were lost in the words with (Diabeties, a heart attack, bleeding out... insert any number of medical cnditions), would he want the team searching for them to have as much medical training as they could get?
Good luck and I commend you, sounds like you do a lot of good with little to work with.
Be safe:
Tom Sasso

Jodi said:

Our Thurston County Sherriff Office has required from our SAR units, proof that an EMS unit is needed in Search and Rescue.
The standard ALS and BLS response times in the 10 minutes in town. Rural is 30 minutes on the average.

More in the wilderness areas, by up to a hour.

Our aim is to assist the victims of the rescue as soon as possible. We would like feed back as to what your area does with respect to this issue.

Our average search is 8 to 24 hours long. With no EMS other than a few First aid People, we wanted to advance our training in responses for our victims. The care needed was more advanced than a first aid level. We received the Green light over 6 months ago to attend a county provided EMT Training.
We have worked to address the protocols in our jurisdiction.

Now 5 days before EMT training starts the SO wants us to do an essay and prove our worth or no training!

We do not transport but provide an on site EMS till a more Advanced transport arrives. Can you help with your counties EMS and SAR protocols? STATS would be also welcomed. Email me at AzTRAUMAMOMMA@aol.com

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Permalink Reply by Jodi on March 9, 2009 at 1:21am

Stress for me comes not the job, but the politics of those who don't work the field but feel you need to justify your job to them. And have been the authority to make your life hell if you don't follow their whims.

My unit was threatens for cutting of funds. Not people just supplies. No more O2 No more basics. None, if I did not follow outlines set forth by people who have no idea about EMS and the field work done out there.

I was promised medical supplies and better jump bags and a stocked supply that would not dry up if I as team leader cooperated. I was willing to do what was needed to fill the needs.

Well after 80 days of hell and jumping each time and having meetings starting at 5:30 am and meetings till 23:00, weekends and Christmas New Years Valentines day my birthday. We came full circle. The President used the stats and ideas I gave him to enforce how important this group people were. He took the ideas and presented them as his own. My crew still has no supplies to work with and this group took our last 3 good O2 tanks. We have been getting supplies from hospitals understanding of our needs. But we have now been putting our selves at risk. We have 19 cases of med gloves and roller bandages from 1964. No lie. I have hit Craigs list with pleadings to the community to help us to get what we need to keep the small amount of services going.

The President Of the Council has 4 fully equiped jump bags in his car. We don't get them. To bad I couldn't make the small gesture of support for his grand plan.

I am be side myself as the purse strings are closed to us. I love the fire fighters I did my time in an old pumper and 1944 ambulance, but if we were fire fighters we would have moneys to spend. I feel so ill.

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Permalink Reply by Roland M. Tucker on March 9, 2009 at 6:47am

I just don't understand beam-counters justifying dramatic cut-backs in simple necessities while those same people believe (I really think that they think they have better "perspective" than those in the field, going out, over and beyond everyday) they know better. Statistics lie! Dammit they are manipulated- we all know that. But what are the men and women dedicated to save lives supposed to do? Strike? As appealing as that may be, what will happen to emergency response?

I my thoughts, an all volunteer, but PAID, EMS and First Responder cadre which operates strictly by donations from local business, hospital, clinic and the rest of our lot. When the reality of how that that idea just won't work presents itself that it just might rattle the cages of those who think that management from the corner office rather than the trenches might come around. Yes, this is euphoria based common sense, but it IS common sense!

All VOLUNTEER's are the most dedicated pro's I've met. How do we send the message to those who would wean us off of them while they get the choice of where and whatever they wish to do, by cutting money from us-keeping it for them. I don't know, and that's really the whole point of this commentary posting. I'm open for community reply's to this post... it might save a life! Hmmmm, do they, the bean counters EVER think about that?

Ciao

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Permalink Reply by Curtis Meloy on July 2, 2009 at 1:32pm

I've been doing the volunteer thing along time 17 yrs (with this group) and 3 with another before going back in the service. I feel we should be helping others because we can and if anything our rewards will be in Heaven.

For many years this group only had a chili supper (once a year) as their fund raiser. As the Chief I'm very aware of how expensive items in this field are. But we've been in bussiness for 54 years serving the residents of Garland, TX. We now have our bingo license which brings in a good income for us. Plus we work with area restaurants to give us a percentage of their income for a day (receipt go into a jar)and we show up and clear tables, talk to the public for the last 4-5 hours of the evening. This has been bringing in $2-300+ a month. Hope this has been of some help. If you would like our chili recipe email me chief meloy garlandemergencycorps@yahoo.com

Jodi said:

I am currently putting together a SAR medical team and am starting from the ground up. We have only a few members from out side our County as we do not have a Jr College to recruit from. All the EMS is taught more than 30 miles away and in order to be an EMT B you have to go through 4 inch book on our counties Protocols. National Registry is not acknowledged here. If you want to work here you start somewhere else. Equipment and supplies are hard to find, even broken items. Our roller bandages were made and distributed in 1959. No lie.

But when we get a call out we work hard. One rescue I personal patched up and sent two by ambulance and 14 by POV. Total count of injured personal was 23. On ONE rescue. All were volunteers.

Broken T/B with no distal pulses. Flailed chest at t 5-8. Amazing injuries with little equipment and lots of our own money on the line. I just lost a hare traction splint that I know is gone. But you do what you can for the Patient.

You do good things. I think you should be commended.

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