Holly – A plan being considered by the Holly Village Council to get local ambulance service may impact Atlas Township residents.
Whether it’s an M-15 crash, cardiac arrest, or an elderly person who’s fallen, local residents rely on the services of out-of-area ambulances and Genesee County Sheriff’s Department paramedics in an emergency.
More responders available in the surrounding area may speed up response time locally, say experts.
In Genesee County, when a call is made to 911 about a life-threatening emergency, both a sheriff’s paramedic and an ambulance are dispatched.
In a June 2004 interview with The Citizen, Sheriff Bob Pickell estimated paramedics? response time at an average of 12 minutes. With minutes being crucial in many cases, the department’s eventual goal is a five-minute response time.
Since then, the sheriff’s department has hired six additional police officer-paramedics, bringing the response time down by approximately one minute, said Captain Michael Becker, paramedic division commander.
Sheriff’s paramedics aren’t a substitute for ambulances.
‘Our role is to work in partnership with (ambulance) services out there,? Becker said.
Paramedics, who have approximately 1,000 hours of training, are especially necessary in stabilizing a heart rhythm, giving medication, cutting open an airway or starting an IV.
Basic Life Support (BSL) ambulance units are staffed by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) with approximately 125 hours of training.
Paramedics work on-site or stabilize a patient’s condition en route to the hospital–even meeting the ambulance along the way’but it’s always the ambulance service that actually drives the patient to a medical facility, says Becker.
‘Obviously the quicker we can get the patient into a hospital, the better we feel about it,? said Becker, especially in the case of trauma.
In addition to driving the patient to the hospital, EMT-staff ambulances can handle less life-threatening situations on their own.
Becker estimates Atlas Township emergencies required paramedics approximately 40 times since January, out of roughly 140 medical-related 911 calls dispatched from the area.
EMT ambulance staff, EMT-firefighters, and first-responder firefighters are all qualified to handle emergencies like stopping bleeding or administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Jim Grady of Patriot Ambulance Service, an ambulance company based in Burton since March, recently presented a proposal to the Holly council for two basic life support units to be stationed in Grand Blanc Township near Baldwin and Holly roads.
Although Holly residents have voted down a millage proposal to support the service, the council is looking at low-budget options, said Tom Daily, interim village manager.
A Grand Blanc Township ambulance location would put more ambulances on the road, possibly reducing response time for Atlas Township residents, who often wait for Davison-area ambulances.
Dispatchers at 911 call the nearest available ambulance, based on ‘as the crow flies? miles between the emergency and the ambulance location, said Grady.
Currently, Genesee County operates the sheriff’s paramedic division on a special millage slated to expire in 2006; ambulance companies count on getting enough calls to support their services based on charging per run.
‘It’s always better to have an (ambulance) service close by, but a business has to have enough calls to support the business,? said Becker.
No decision on the ambulance service has yet been made by the Holly Village Council.