Non Fire Department Extrication Squads

[1497]

I'm a member of a rescue squad that provides extrication, rope rescue, water rescue, and EMS first response however we are not affiliated with a fire department or ambulance service. Although we aren't officially affiliated with them we do work very closely with the ambulance squad and the 3 fire departments in our response area and we have a number of members who are also members of the fire department or ambulance squad.

I'm curious how many other organizations that are out there like ours that don't fit the traditional mold.

I'm specifically interested in viewing web pages.

Thanks.

[ccsr12]

I also work on a Rescue Squad that is not apart of a fir department. But we work very closely with the fire departments in our county. Plus we also work with the med units in the county. Most of our members are EMT's or First Responders, do do have a few Advance EMT's. Visit our web site for more information http://welcome.to/ccsr .

David Little
2nd Lt.
Clay County Search and Rescue

[Resq14]

not to sound dumb here or anything, but why would you want a separate rescue squad? it seems like the only thing that most of you don't do is drag hoses and raise ladders and crawl around in hot, smokey places.

personally, i feel that it's a better use of resources to have everyone trained to some standard competency level, and allow for specialization beyond that point. how you determine what is standard and specialized can vary from place to place. i mean, you could have a standardized ems agency with several specializing in fire suppression, extrication, or vice-versa, or whatever. but all operations would still fall under the same command system.

i don't understand why you'd want to add a separate administrative body when it could probably all be done under one jurisdiction.

i'm not being critical... don't read it that way. i just don't understand as i've never heard of such a thing. i'm interested in how such a response works.

=)

[1497]

ccsr12 Thanks for the reply. Great website.

Resq14
Just some history about my organization. It was started 21 years ago because a need existed that wasn't being filled. It was started by firemen from several different departments because the individual fire departments didn't want to deal with technical rescue or EMS. They still don't. I'm sure other organizations started that way too.

I understand your comments but here the case could be made that we actually eliminate the necessity of several fire departments purchasing extrication and other specialized equipment and keeping up with the necessary training.

The standard response for an MVA would be us, the fire department, and the ambulance service. The fire department sets up an LZ if needed, handles traffic control, charges a hose line, takes care of any spills, etc. Since we're almost always on scene before the ambulance or fire department we assess the situation, start patient care, call for a helicopter if necessary, and handle the extrication. When the ambulance arrives they take over patient care and transport.

I know it sounds chaotic but since it has evolved that way everyone knows their roles and it works very well for us.

[1497]

ccsr12 Thanks for the reply. Great website.

Resq14
Just some history about my organization. It was started 21 years ago because a need existed that wasn't being filled. It was started by firemen from several different departments because the individual fire departments didn't want to deal with technical rescue or EMS. They still don't. I'm sure other organizations started that way too.

I understand your comments but here the case could be made that we actually eliminate the necessity of several fire departments purchasing extrication and other specialized equipment and keeping up with the necessary training.

The standard response for an MVA would be us, the fire department, and the ambulance service. The fire department sets up an LZ if needed, handles traffic control, charges a hose line, takes care of any spills, etc. Since we're almost always on scene before the ambulance or fire department we assess the situation, start patient care, call for a helicopter if necessary, and handle the extrication. When the ambulance arrives they take over patient care and transport.

I know it sounds chaotic but since it has evolved that way everyone knows their roles and it works very well for us.

[ccsr12]

Resq14
Why are there still some fire departments today that do not like to deal with medical runs? That is one of the functions we do.

[J Almon]

Check www.tnars.org. Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads. TN is split into 4 regions, and there are vast differences in how the squads operate due to politics, volly/paid and the old "just the way it has alway been" situations. For example, our squad started as water rescue only, adding extrication. In 1974 we added fire suppression.
In my experiences, it ususally doesn't matter about the administrative layers, just how can the job get done for the least amount of money. It doen't make it right or logical, but it is just reality.

[Lt.3506]

I too, am on a Rescue Dept. that is not part of a fire or ambulace dept. We have been around for over 40+ years. We help with fire fighting, auto extercatoin,scerachs,lighting, and some first aid standbys. We also do some haz-mat too, we also have are own cassagaid system with a air amplafire too.



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[NCRSQ751]

My department provides all technical rescue services as well as medical assist at an EMT-D level to the county EMS service. We work closely with EMS and the fire departments in the county.

We are not affilliated because historically the fire departments did not want to do rescue. That was back in 1958.

Most fire departments in the county are now doing auto extrication or working their way into it.

They still aren't interested in much of the technical stuff though. Why? Probably because their primary responsibility is fire suppression - and when you deal with volunteer companies especially - to put in the time and money it would take to start up a technical operation would make keeping up the fire training difficult.

Could they do it? I'm sure - but why do that when they already have a resource that is established, equipped and trained? Why re-invent the wheel as long as that resource is readily available to you and the people you serve? I might add that any of their members that want to learn this stuff are welcome to join our department - we have several members that are also firefighters both career and volunteer.

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Susan Bednar
Captain - Forsyth Rescue
North Carolina Strike Force 1

[Mike McCain]

My first experience at extrication was as a reserve deputy sheriff. In our parish (county) for many years the county provided equipment to the Sheriff's office for extrication and it was all that was available. (I'm no longer a reserve deputy but now I'm a vol. firefighter)
Now the Sheriff's office still runs a rescue for extrication and dive team but they are no longer the only one's doing rescue. Our city fire department has a rescue,the fire district I'm affiliated with has one, as does one other district.
Our district is the most heavily populated district and has the most equipment and training of any of the other rural districts and is responsable for an urban interface area surrounding the city. The sheriff's department responds along with us within our district and we have worked scenes together using their tools as well as two sets of tools from our truck. On a few runs they have been first on scene and we have both worked using their equipment.
At times they even special call for us to make calls with them out of our district. It's worked well so far but I forsee a time when some of the other 8 districts in the county obtain their own equipment and the Sheriff gets out of rescue. Not that we do not get along or work together but if a service is provided why duplicate it when you have to run a Deputy to the Office to get their truck and take him away from his normal duties.

[Resq14]

just to reiterata... i wasn't trying to be critical. i just didn't understand how something like this could work. what matters is that it has been working, and continues to work for you. thanks for the reply.

[SCCARESCUE]

I have been a member of an independent rescue squad for nearly 28 years. The squad was created to fill a void that existed. We live in a very rural area and none of the area fire departments had the budget or manpower to run advanced or specialized rescue teams. Our team was created and consists of members of area FDs as well as EMS. 7 years ago, after the county cut our funding off, we merged with a regional EMS service and are still in operation. We include the appropriate FD in each response and train with them. In our situation, it is the best of all worlds. The teamwork is excellent, and each group works hard to support the others. Our communities are better protected and our operations are virtually seamless. This allows each group get real good at what they do everyday. It works!

Good luck!

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Dan Martelle


[This message has been edited by SCCARESCUE (edited 11-25-2000).]

[mark/cvarc]

1497 great post
The number of squads/depts. doing rescue and no fire suppression is probably small but can be very effective, especially with technical training requirements.Add these requirements to a FD's regular training and it can become quite cumbersome not to mention tough to get people to comply with all the hours required to train and maintain proficiency in all areas.My sqad was started 61 years ago as a rescue squad serving a very large area in two states simply because there was a need that wasn't being met at the time. As the years went by we started doing first aid and transport and our response area decreased as other groups and FD's came into the picture to do those jobs in their areas.Now we cover appox. 25 sq. miles as a primary provider of EMS and Rescue. In our county, we are the only BLS transport and rescue organization out of 72 municipalities. There are four other rescue only organizations in the county with FD's doing the balance of the rescue work in the county. Ours is a unique set up but works very well. NJ is a very big volunteer EMS state with a large number of squads not affiliated with a FD

[ElmerA]

Our Service is first, the EMS provider for the three Towns we cover. This is a service area of over 200 sq. miles. Within this area we work with 4 (DIFFERENT) Fire Departments.

Years ago, the seperate departments opted not to do rescue because all 4 would have to be equally equiped, instead of our 1 Service providing the rescue services to our three Towns.

Finacially, our three Towns only purchased one of everything, not each Town making purchases for each FD.

Besides, I am the oddball of our Service because I am about the only one that is not a firefighter on any of the 4 Fire Departments!!! (Someone needs to drive the ambulance for fire stand-bys).

FYI, our ambulance service is the only one in a 30 mile radius that provides veh-ext beyond the simple door crunch, provides rope rescue capabilities and the area's search & rescue team. (We just had a lost hunter missing for 48 hours).

Small rural Towns, Fire Departments, EMS Providers cannot provide the money, equipment and most importantly the personnel to have each department rescue qualified. I think combined districts are what is to come.

Visit our web site to learn more.

Elmer Anderson, NREMT
Mountain Ambulance Service http://www.rescue70.org