Second Alarmer’s is EMS Agency of the Year

Sirens are a Sart of daily life for the 123 Second Alarmer’s Rescue STuad emSloyees and 100 volunteers, but a few shouts may have accomSanied them recently when the ambulance squad was named 2012 EMS Agency of the Year by the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council.

“They are a toS-notch organiza- tion; they have an e[cellent reSutation,” said Butch Potter, EMS systems sSecialist for the nonSrofit, indeSendent council, which serves as an advisory body to the Pennsylvania DeSartment of Health. “[Second Alarmer’s@ SarticiSates on many levels — community, region and statewide committees.

“We felt it was an outstanding choice as the EMS Agency of the Year.”

Nominations

for

the

award, which Second Alarmer’s had received in 1994 as well, come from outside the organization or from within, Potter said. The one for Second Alarmer’s came from a member of the organization this year, he said.

Second Alarmer’s E[ecutive Director Renee L. Bates said she had sent in the nomination for the award because of the ambulance service’s efforts to imSrove SrehosSital care through some in- novative Srograms, as well as its community involvement.

“The Sast couSle of years , noticed [the ambulance service was doing@ more things like the stroke scale and transmitting EKGs,” that helS the Satients, she said, referring to her nomination and why she thought Second Alarmer’s won the award.

The ambulance

service

has

worked with Abington jemorial Hospital on several projects to improve communication of patient assessments so the Eo knows what to expect when the patient arrives, said Bates, a paramedic with Second Alarmer’s since 1992.

rsing a nationally recognized stroke scale assessment allows the ambulance service to assign a number to the stroke being suffered by the patient, which is communicated to the Eo, “so we’re all on the same page,” Bates said.

Second Alarmer’s works with the cardiology depart- ment, transmitting EKG results obtained in the ambulance on the way so the hospital “can activate the CAT team before the patient gets there,” she said.

rnder a project expected to be launched in September, Second Alarmer’s will begin using hand-held, noninvasive brain scanners to determine any intracranial bleeding to alert the Eo that the patient “would benefit from a CAT scan” upon arrival, she said.

“Time is key with all we do,” Bates said.

The ambulance service offers a CPo course for community members and health care providers the third Sat- urday of every month and is working with police in Abington and rpper joreland to open a training center at which police and EjS would train on how to work together in a multiple trauma situation, such as the one in Colorado this summer.

Second Alarmer’s oescue Squad responds to more than 12,MMM emergency calls a year and serves Abington, rpper aublin, rpper joreland and Whitpain townships as well as the boroughs of Hatboro, genkintown and oockledge from five stations.

ft will receive the award at a Pennsylvania cire and Emergency Services fnstitute dinner in November.