EMTs now a roaming force

Orcas now has its roaming force of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), virtually all of them armed with a machine which shocks a heart that has stopped beating.

Thirty-six EMTs were presented with their Automatic External Defibrillators on May 7. Orcas Island fire commissioners are betting that with EMTs scattered all over the island, one will be able to get to a person in cardiac arrest quick enough to save that person’s life. Time is of the essence in cardiac arrest cases; with each passing minute the likelihood that the victim will survive decreases dramatically.

Five EMTs are still without defibrillators, but that problem should be addressed soon, thanks to an anonymous donation of $10,000, said Garth Eimers, Emergency Medical Services chief with the Orcas Island Fire Department. Unfortunately, the manufacturer of the defibrillators is facing an eight-week backlog, Eimers noted. The first batch of defibrillators cost $1270 apiece.

The fire department’s large purchase has prompted a great deal of interest from nearby fire departments, private individuals, and places where large numbers of islanders congregate. “A lot of people are talking about it,” Eimers said.

The Shaw Island Fire Department got Orcas to buy a defibrillator on its behalf, with the understanding that the local department will be reimbursed, the EMS chief said. Several private individuals have inquired about buying a defibrillator for themselves and their families. Interest has also been expressed in placing defibrillators in such places as the Orcas Island School, Orcas Center, Orcas Power and Light Cooperative, Island Market, and Rosario Resort. Even Camp Nor’wester, on remote Johns Island, has made an inquiry to the Orcas Island Fire Department.

The explosion of interest, while good news to Eimers, raises questions about whether the department is prepared to become a purchasing agent for private parties, and whether it will train those who obtain the defibrillators. Both issues will be addressed soon by Orcas fire commissioners, Eimers said.

The notion of a roaming force was the brainchild of firefighter and EMT Larry Taubman, who presented his idea to fire commissioners last February. His report prompted commissioners to ask Eimers to study the feasibility of such a purchase. When the EMS chief advised commissioners last April that it was a good idea, they gave their consent, agreeing to spend $36,000 in department funds. It was money that had earlier been budgeted for other items. Taubman was on hand May 7 when Eimers presented EMTs with their machines.

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