Welcome to the Saratoga County Emergency Medical Services Council web
site. Step in and have a look around!
Date and Time site last updated:
03/19/12 07:18 PM
The next meeting
of the Saratoga County EMS Council will be on Monday, June 18th at 7:00 PM
EMS Admin Group Salutes SEMS Providers
The Saratoga County EMS Administrators Council, a group representing the
Administrators of the larger ambulance services in the County issued an open
letter saluting the EMS professionals working for Saratoga Emergency Medical
Services (SEMS). On Friday, February 17th at 06:00 am, SEMS will cease
operations. Click here
for a copy of the letter.
Spring EMS Training Course Schedule In Full Swing
The Spring 2012 EMS Course Schedule has started.
You can access the schedule through the Courses tab at the top of this page.
Courses include an EMT-Basic Original Course at Malta Ambulance, an EMT Challenge Refresher
at Stillwater Rescue Squad and
Certified First Responder (CFR) Original and Refresher Courses at the Fire Training Center.
Click here for a PDF
version of the Course Schedule. If you don't like any of these courses
and want to see other courses in the area, check NYEMTinfo.com.
Dispatch Protocol Change
In October, the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department switched to ProQA, a
computerized version of the Medical Priority Dispatch cards used to process EMS
calls. This will allow implementation of several new dispatch protocols,
some not previously available. The first is Protocol 33, the Transfer/Interfacility/Palliative
Care protocol. Calls from medical facilities such as doctor's offices or
nursing homes where the patient is being cared for by a nurse or physician will
be processed using Card 33. Patients not arresting or post-resuscitation who,
in the opinion of the healthcare provider do not require a Priority One
response, will now be dispatched as a Priority 2-Alpha response. This change
will more efficiently screen calls from medical facilities and significantly
decrease inappropriate dispatch of first responders to healthcare locations.
Healthcare facilities have long requested that we accept
their professional appraisal of the need for emergency versus non-emergency
responses. Now, we can. It is important to advise crews of this change as
there is a tendency to associate the response determinant (i.e., Alpha) with a
non-acute patient. Using Card 33, the only thing that an Alpha
determinant tells you is that healthcare professionals are currently caring for
the patient and do not require immediate assistance. It in no way implies that
the patient does not require ALS or extra manpower. If you are unsure of what
additional resources may be needed, please ask EMS Dispatch. One of the caller
questions elicits needs for special equipment (such as a bariatric stretcher or
helicopter) and another question determines whether additional personnel (such
as ALS providers) are necessary.
Please refer any questions to Mike McEvoy, EMS-1 at
mcevoymike@aol.com
Chemical Assisted Suicide Responder Reference Released
The HazMat Fusion Center
www.hazmatfc.com recently released a
Chemical Assisted
Suicide Responder Reference to aid emergency responders in recognizing and
managing chemical suicides. These incidents are happening with increasing
frequency across the Country. It is not a question of if, but when, we will see
our first of these in Saratoga County. Multiple occurrences throughout New York
State have had serious health consequences for responders. EMS Coordinator Mike
McEvoy strongly recommends that all services
laminate this
reference card and place one in each of their response vehicles. Let's not
lose an EMS provider for failing to keep abreast of the dangers we all face out
there!
Cyanokit Deployment for Fire Victims
Saratoga County has purchased ten Cyanokits and
strategically deployed them around the County. Cyanokits are an antidote for
cyanide poisoning, thought to be the leading cause of death in fire victims.
Two kits each are presently available in Clifton Park-Halfmoon, Malta,
Community, Wilton and Moreau. Please consider calling one of these agencies for
a Cyanokit for any arrested patient pulled out from a structure fire or for any
firefighter who collapses in arrest during or after interior structural
firefighting activities. Our resuscitation rate for fire victims in Saratoga
County is dismal - near zero. A study
using the Cyanokit over an 8 year period in Paris shows that we may be able
to revive more than half of our fire scene victims with this new antidote. If
you have an arrest at a fire scene, please call for an agency with a Cyanokit.
For more information on Cyanokit, visit
www.cyanokit.com.
Archived Information
Click here to access information previously posted on this main page that has
been archived.
Contact Information
- Telephone
- 518-383-8608
- FAX
- 518-383-4915
- Snail Mail
- PO Box 624 Ballston Spa, NY 12020
- Electronic mail
- Information:
info@saratogaems.org
