Fire department may create roaming force of EMTs

It would be a “roaming AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) force,” said Orcas Island firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Larry Taubman.

If created, the roaming force would consist of the 30-40 island EMTs, all carrying this piece of equipment which is used to shock a heart in cases of cardiac arrest and heart attacks. The AEDs are small, and weigh no more than 2.8 pounds.

Time is of the essence in cardiac situations, Taubman told Orcas Island fire commissioners Feb. 19. With each minute lost, the chances of a patient in cardiac arrest surviving goes down 10 percent, meaning that after 10 minutes the likelihood of survival is virtually zero. These numbers have been verified by two recent studies, one in Chicago and the other in Sweden. Orcas Emergency Medical Services Coordinator Garth Eimers called the evidence from the two studies “compelling.”

The Orcas Island Fire Department now has about 10 defibrillators. They’re in the ambulances, at all the fire stations, and in the possession of the island’s three paramedics.

Typically, however, the first one on the scene in an emergency situation is an EMT, because they’re scattered all over the island, and one is likely to reside near every patient. Taubman and Eimers noted that even if the EMT beats the ambulance and the paramedic to the scene by just a minute or two, it could be the difference between life and death.

Taubman argued that a roaming defibrillator force may be particularly appropriate on Orcas where, he said, “We have an aging population with a greater propensity for cardiac arrest.”

Fire commissioners listened intently to Taubman’s presentation, and they expressed interest in pursuing the plan. But they have yet to decide whether to spend $1200 to $2000 for each defibrillator, or as much as as $80,000 to equip all the EMTs. In addition, it is estimated that it would cost the department another $2,000 annually for maintenance of the equipment,

Those numbers prompted fire commissioners to wave the caution flag. “Something is going to have to give. It’s all going to come down to the money,” Fire Commissioner John Erly said, acknowledging that unless the department can obtain a grant to pay for the defibrillators, the money will have to come from elsewhere in the budget.

Fire commissioner Harvey Olsan wondered if the roaming EMTs would be able to get to the scene quick enough to make a difference. By the time an emergency call goes to central dispatch and the necessary information is passed on to all emergency personnel, at least a minute or two is gone, Eimers said. Nevertheless, he believes that the roaming force will save lives. “For some people that will be the difference,” he said. “It will cut the time in half.”

Another possibility under consideration would be to place the AEDs at sites where large crowds gather, such as Orcas Center, the library, the school, OPALCO, Island Market, and the senior center. Under such an arrangement. staff members would have to be trained to use the defibrillators effectively. EMTs learn this as part of their training.

Taubman was the instructor during the EMTs’ local training program. That experience led him to look into the feasibility of equipping each EMT with a defibrillator. Taubman also noted that the day is coming when there will be a defibrillator in every home.

Eimers is expected to make a formal proposal, including financial implications, to fire commissioners when they meet at the fire hall March 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.