The Lebanon Volunteer Rescue Department had a busy May 2009. The department responded to 51 calls for service. Besides responding to these emergency calls, department members attended several trainings and EMT refresher classes. The department held several trainings for members throughout the month.
There were several days when the rescue responded to multiple calls in one day. Several of these calls had more than 1 patient and some had 4-6 patients at each. As rescue chief, I would like to commend the volunteers for their hard work and dedication to their community.
The following is a breakdown of the 51 calls for May:
Motor Vehicle Accidents 8 (1 Fatal)
Fall With Injuries 5
Suicidal/Psychiatric 4
Mutual Aid to Other Towns 6
Seizures 2
Stand by at Fire Scenes 3
Public Assists 3
Cardiac Arrest/Codes 2
Cardiac Emergencies 2
Respiratory Emergencies 2
Assault Victims 2
Traumatic Injury 2
Hemorrhage 2
Well Being Checks 1
Allergic Reactions 1
Carbon Monoxide Alarm 1
General Illness 1
Parachuting Accident 1
Stroke 1
Unconscious Patient 1
Emergency Transfer 1
The Lebanon Rescue Department treated 68 patients in May. Of these, 30 were transported by ambulance to the hospital. The following is a breakdown of the patient’s destination:
* Goodall Hospital: 11
* Frisbie Memorial Hospital: 17
* Maine Medical Center: 1
* Wentworth Douglas Hospital: 1
The following is a breakdown of the apparatus response for May 2009:
* Ambulance One: 48
* EMS 1/First Response: 39
Response Times/Average Call Lengths:
With the new computer software, we can produce a lot more reports and statistics. We continue to find new reports that can help us. The following is a report of response times and average call times for May:
* Average Time of Tone to Ambulance Signs Enroute: 04 minutes 16 seconds
* Average Time of Tone to Ambulance on Scene: 6 Minutes 21 Seconds
* Calls In Which The Ambulance Was On Scene within 10 Minutes of Dispatch: 84.8%
* Average Time from Tone to In Quarters: 2 hours, 13 minutes, 05 seconds.
The busiest day of the week was Friday, followed by Sunday, Saturday, Wednesday, Monday, Thursday and Tuesday. The busiest time for rescue calls during May was between 3pm and 6pm, when 37% of the calls for the month came in.
Training:
* Lieutenant Kevin Romano and EMT Seth Bougie attended the Wilderness Rescue Team 2009 MASAR Conference at the Grand Summit Resort Hotel & Conference Center Sunday River Resort in Bethel, Maine on May 8th, 9th, 10th.
* We held a community CPR class on May 30th, 2009.
* On Monday May 11th, Lebanon Rescue EMT Carolyn Limerick received word that she passed her Intermediate class and is now just waiting for her license from the State. Congratulations to Carolyn!!
* Thursday 5/14 & Friday 5/15: I attended a conference in Worcester, MA that dealt with Juvenile Fire Safety and Injury Prevention. It was a very beneficial training and I hope to bring some of the ideas back to Lebanon as well.
Other:
* We held our monthly joint officers meeting with the Fire Department Officers on May 4th at East Lebanon Station.
* Rescue crews taught CPR/First Aid/AED to school staff on Wednesday May 30th. This is one of several classes we have done at the school to train the staff on the AED the rescue placed in both schools.
* Captain Stu Morrison met with the Lebanon EMA group for their monthly meeting at the station on Saturday, May 9th.
* Rescue crews stood by at the Lebanon Memorial Day Ceremony on May 25th.
* Rescue crews stood by at the Mud Races that drew more than 1000 people on May 31st.
* There have been several meetings on the dispatch transition. We are still on-line for a start on July 1st (or a few days before)
* We celebrated National EMS Week by attending the Children’s Fair in Portland and going to several daycares throughout the week. We also have our annual safety fair coming up.
* During the last week of April and first week of May was extra rough with 3 patients who passed away, a 21 year old, a male in his 30′s and then another cardiac arrest yesterday. I wanted to commend everyone who responded to these calls. We have seen a higher then usual amount of serious calls and everyone has done an excellent job.
* We are working on a grant with several other towns to purchase carbon monoxide detection equipment (meters) and patient care tools. For those who didn’t know, a $200 product possibly saved the lives of Frisbie Paramedics who went on a call in Milton. They have a carbon monoxide detector attached to their first in bag and it alerted them that there was a problem. They retreated and the readings in the house were about 800.
Patient Letters/Correspondence:
We received 19 patient surveys in the mail this month. They were all excellent!
We received multiple cards and emails from patients.
We also received a card from the family of Mark Kenney, the young gentleman that passed away at the beginning of May. They were VERY appreciative of all the efforts of the rescue personnel on the call to try to save Mark. They also sent a donation in his memory.
We also received a card from the family of Mary Boivin. They were VERY appreciative of all the efforts of the rescue personnel on the call to try to save Mary.
We also heard from one of the parents of a recent car accident. He said “”thanks for doing the job you do!! I know you don’t hear it often enough. The boys are aching but ok, thanks again!”
These thank you cards and emails that we get mean so much to the volunteers. They know they made a difference in these family’s life, and the families recognizes that. I am very proud to lead such a well-trained and dedicated group of volunteers who truly show compassion for their community.
You can also review the weekly and monthly Rescue Chief’s reports online at www.lebanonrescue.com You can also send your email address to chiefcole@lebanonrescue.com to be added to the email list for weekly and monthly reports.
Proudly Serving Since 1981
Visit Us On The Web: www.lebanonrescue.com
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
One of Maine’s First Heart Safe Designated Communities!
Chief Samantha J. Cole
Lebanon Rescue Department
Rescue Chief’s Office
323 Depot Road
Lebanon, Maine 04027
(207) 457-9269 Chief’s Office
(207) 608-5614 Cell Phone
(207) 339-9488 Central Station
Emergency Dial 9-1-1
www.lebanonrescue.com