Sacramento fire department Annual report 2009

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICESTop Provider ImpressionsIn 2009 policy drafts were written for pandemicresponse. These policies were adopted by theCalifornia Department of Public Health, FolsomFire Department, and other agencies whoadapted portions of them to their responseplans. The plan included: infection controlmeasures adapted from Center for Disease Controlguidelines; modified staffing guidelines forincreases in call volume, and decreases in personneldue to illness; inventory control measuresfor supplies, medications, and personalprotective equipment; education of staff and thecommunity; transportation modalities based onpatient call volume; and inter-agency communicationto relay situation/status updates.The department continues to foster an educationalpartnership with the University of Californiaat Davis Medical Center (UCDMC).Fourth year medical students ride along withthe Medic Units to gain a better understanding of the fire service, field treatment, and SCEMS policies and procedures. Mobile IntensiveCare Nurses (MICN) who receive radio reports from paramedics on patient status are mandated to ride along in a medic unit.This program provides nurses the opportunity to observe FF/EMT-P interacting with patients in the pre-hospital setting. Manynurses from local hospitals have taken advantage of this program. As part of their EMS rotation, the Emergency Residents from theUCDMC also ride along and present medical lectures to the SFD FF/EMT-P to provide them with advanced assessment skills andtools. The UCDMC Emergency Residents are also committed to provide medical lecture on topics which include Hypothermia, Bitesand Envenomation, Pediatric Orthopedic Emergencies, Obstetrical Emergencies, and Anaphylaxis. This joint venture has proven to bea great partnership.The EMS Division provided paramedic field training to numerous outside agencies including ARC, METS, and NCTI. While the minimumfield training hours are 480, most of our paramedic preceptors provided 600 to 720 hours of field training to the outside agencyparamedic student. Without this important field training, a paramedic student would not be able to complete the requirements tobecome a paramedic.EMS partners with the Sacramento Adult Education, specifically Old Marshall School, in providing EMT-1 and EMT-P training to thecommunity. The goal of the program is to tap into the diversity that Sacramento has to offer. Old Marshall employs SFD personnel asinstructors, and SFD provides the equipment and suppliesneeded for the EMT and EMT-P classes. It is aRun Dispositionmutually beneficial program; however, due to fiscalconstraints this partnership was ended.The EMS Division is an active member and participantin community programs. The EMS Division is a memberof the Elderly Death Review Team and the ChildDeath Review Team. Case information is compiledfrom SFD Records Management System and presentedat team meetings. EMS has also been involved withMercy General Hospital’s process for Accreditation asa Cardiac Center by participating in their door-toballoonprogram meetings. Door-to-balloon programsare geared toward transporting cardiac patients to definitiveCardiac Care Facilities which provide access torapid cardiac interventions.Sacramento Fire Department 2009 Annual Report ~ Page 13