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PUBLISHED:
Monday May 15 |
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FireNews.net Special Feature |
Ride-Along: Wake EMS
RALEIGH - Wake County EMS provides advanced life support (ALS)
medical service for most of Raleigh, the towns of Fuquay-Varina and Wake Forest,
and the rural areas around those towns. Wake EMS also provides personnel to Holly Springs Fire-Rescue.
The agency's organizational structure consists of a Chief, three Assistant Chiefs, two Division Chiefs, and three District Chiefs: EMS 203 at Station 8 in Raleigh, EMS 204 at Fairview Fire Station 1 in Apex, and EMS 205 at Station 10 in Wake Forest.
The District Chiefs operate four-wheel drive SUVs that function as both quick-response vehicles (QRV) and mobile offices. Each carries an identical inventory as a Wake EMS ambulance, with the exception of stretcher, long backboard, etc.
Their medical apparatus ranges from adult and pediatric jump kits to intubation equipment to a manual defibrillator. They carry oxygen, suction, a heart monitor, and a power-drill needle used on cardiac arrest patients for inserting IV tubes into the marrow of the tibia.
Their vehicles are also stocked with mass-casualty incident management supplies such as ID vests and clipboards.
The extensive inventory also serves as redundancy against equipment failure aboard any of the ambulances.
District Chiefs are dispatched to any incident with either multiple patients or with the capacity for multiple patients, as well as any motor-vehicle accident (MVA) with extrication and/or an extended time on scene.
They're also dispatched to all working fires, all shootings and stabbings, all motorcycle accidents, all pedestrians struck, and all medical calls with a high probability of death, such as cardiac arrest.
Though their primary role is supervisory and administrative, District Chiefs perform patient care and paramedic support as needed.
They also function as scene coordinator if an incident involves multiple patients. They can also drive the ambulance to the hospital if needed, or pick up riders at the hospital.
Each District Chief also has a specific area of oversight: the Central Area Chief (EMS 203) oversees vehicle maintenance, the Southwest Area Chief (EMS 204) oversees personnel scheduling, and the Northeast Area Chief (EMS 205) oversees building maintenance.
District Chiefs are dispatched by radio, pager, and a printed "rip and run" sheet at their stations. They can also view calls on a laptop computer mounted in the cab and equipped with a cellular modem.
Correspondent Mike Legeros recently spent a Friday night with District Chief Jeffrey Hammerstein, the Central Area Chief on "A" shift. Here's what happened:
Activity Log
19:00 - Mike arrives at Station 8 on Varsity Drive, but District Chief Jeffrey Hammerstein,
EMS 203, is running late. EMS 8 departs on special assignment, so Mike waits outside in his vehicle.
19:05 - A shooting at Pullen Park nearby extends the Chief's delay. He's dispatched along with EMS 13 and Engine 5. Mike monitors the radio traffic on his scanners.
19:20 - Chief Hammerstein backs his vehicle into the station. Mike stows his gear-- camera, tripod, turnout coat-- in the back of the 2003 Ford Excursion. Within minutes, they're on the road.
19:30 - EMS 13 requests a supervisor at an MVA on New Bern Avenue, at the entrance to WakeMed
hospital. We can't tell if they're involved. EMS 13 requests a second ambulance. The Chief concentrates on the radio, and ignores his beeping Nextel. We're traveling without lights or siren. The radio traffic isn't urgent; he doesn't think EMS 13 was involved. Engine 12, also on scene, requests a rescue unit, presumably for extrication.
19:40 - We've been on scene at WakeMed a few minutes. Leaving the hospital, EMS 13 was waiting at the light when two cars collided in front of them. Unable to back up because of a car behind him,
the EMS driver braced for impact. The careening car came to rest just inches from the bumper of the ambulance.
19:42 - Chief Hammerstein grabs a digital camera to document the close call. The accident involved a mother transporting her earlier injured infant to the emergency room. The child was riding in her lap,
alas. With minor injuries, both are transported the mere yards by the second ambulance.
19:53 - Back in service and slowly following an EMS admin vehicle through the WakeMed campus. The Chief is talking to the driver on his Nextel. They begin or perhaps resume coordinating plans for supper. Both have stops to make, first.
20:02 - We're dispatched to a motorcycle accident on the Beltline at Wade Avenue, along with EMS 4 and Engine 8. Subsequent reports advise the Beltline between Wade and Lake Boone Trail. We're still on the other side of town, so even our lights-and-siren response is going to take several minutes. Chief Hammerstein suspects we'll be turned back before we get there, especially as Station 4 on District Drive is so close to the scene.
20:06 - Running "hot" on Western Boulevard and passing
Pullen Park, scene of the earlier shooting. The patient is
reported as dead the next morning. The newspaper account cites a domestic situation. We hear the arriving units on the radio trying to locate the wreck.
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Station 8 on
Varsity Drive
EMS 203, a
2003 Ford Excursion
Motor-vehicle
collision on New Bern Avenue
Collision
occurred in front of EMS 13
Mere inches
between car and ambulance
Two patients
transported to nearby WakeMed
Station 1 on
West Davie Street
District Chief
Hammerstein
Unconscious
person on North Raleigh Boulevard
Computer-Aided
Dispatch status screens
Computer,
radios, and other controls
Assault on
East Bragg Street
One patient
transported
Back at the
station
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20:11 - Engine 8 clears all units. A mattress was mistaken as a motorcycle rider. We pass the engine as the firefighters drag the item off the shoulder. The Chief resumes coordinating both dinner and a requested stop at Station 1 on West Davie Street.
20:13 - Still on the Beltline and approaching Glenwood Avenue. We observe an SUV ahead of us attempt to change
into a lane occupied by police car, and then nearly overturn when swerving away.
20:24 - Arrive at Station 1, located at the Wake County Public Safety Center. Chief Hammerstein stays in his vehicle as it idles on the apron. Another admin vehicle is there, a new Dodge Durango with similar graphics and lights. Like all new admin vehicles, it's designed for use as a reserve Chief's vehicle. It can also provide four-wheel drive support during severe weather.
20:30 - Rolesville EMS calls, asking if a loaner ambulance is available. Theirs has suffered a mechanical failure. The Chief has three
reserves. He discusses the situation with others we've met at Station 1. There are forms to be signed, and notifications to be made. They also agree on a dinner destination: a burger joint on Western Boulevard.
20:46 - We talk about backgrounds. Chief Hammerstein has 20 years of EMS experience, starting with joining the volunteer Garner Rescue Squad at age 18. He's been a member of Wake EMS for 18 years, and a District Chief for two and a half years.
20:50 - Arrive at dinner with the two others: the EMS Human Resources Director, and the head of EMS Quality Assurance. Both are working late. The restaurant has a farm motif, complete with a restored tractor right inside the door.
21:00 - Two minutes after the Chief sits down after ordering, we're dispatched to a stabbing with Engine 7. Returning whence we came, Western Boulevard to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, our lights-and-siren
response isn't nearly as speedy as expected. We stop at every red light.
21:06 - We're returned to service while en route. Chief Hammerstein gets on the phone to resolve the reserve ambulance request. After a couple more
calls and his readiness to offer a reserve unit from Station 2 on Noble Road, he learns that Rolesville has secured a vehicle from Eastern Wake EMS. Problem solved.
21:10 - We talk about mileage. Chief Hammerstein drives a couple hundred miles a shift, and is dispatched 5 to 15 times per night. The busiest times can be any time, and not just Friday nights. He has a personal theory about call volume. Weather changes, he thinks.
21:18 - Almost at the eatery and the Chief's on the phone again, resolving an issue about radio problems and the best time to request a test from the Communications Center. He notes that most meals are working meals, either meeting with others, or doing phone or laptop work. As for dinner time, it's usually later than earlier.
21:19 - Chief Hammerstein's hamburger is still warm, but the fries are cold. Our
table is soon alive with talking, chewing, and the beeps and
squawks of phones and radios. The Chief keeps an ear on the
radio traffic, such as the latest update on hospital
diversions. Food and conversation soon finish and attentions
turn to the Boston College / Villanova game on a nearby
television. Mike continues taking notes.
21:50 - Return to Station 8 for a second. Mike goes across the street to take a couple
photos of the station, while the Chief heads inside.
22:02 - Back on the road and again inbound on Western Boulevard. We have a delivery for Station 7 on Kidd Road, on the other side of town.
22:12 - EMS 7 is dispatched to an unconscious person in the 100 block of North Raleigh Boulevard. We're passing the south 500 block, so the Chief decides to check in. Like many of his check
ins, it's a non-emergency response. We also hear that
another District Chief, EMS 205, is headed there.
22:34 - Engine 7 clears the scene. A female patient has been loaded onto EMS 7. Chief Hammerstein remembers his delivery for Station 7 and gives the item to the paramedics.
22:38 - The Chief spots the ambulance as it backs out of the parking lot. Once on the road, we head south on Raleigh Boulevard. Our next stop is the county garage for fuel.
22:46 - EMS 11 is dispatched to an assault on Bragg and State streets. Chief Hammerstein decides to wander in that direction. The suspect has already left the scene, we hear on the police channel.
In addition to the newest 800 MHz radio in the cab, an older
VHF radio idly monitors the Raleigh Police dispatch
frequency.
22:49 - Waiting for a light at Blount and Davie streets, we discuss the electronic Q-Sirens
that the newest ambulances are using. As if on cue, EMS 11
passes on the cross street, its electronic siren wailing.
22:52 - Arrive on East Bragg Street, at a convenience store in a lower-income neighborhood. A sign on the storefront reads "We do accept EBT/Food-Stamps
here." The male patient is lying on the ground, shoeless. Two
paramedics are kneeling beside him. They try to help or maybe
make him stand up. He appears either unable or unwilling. Though not quite combative, the patient is certainly presenting a problem. Four or five bystanders watch, along with uniformed police officers. There's a heavy alcohol smell in the air, probably perfume.
23:11 - Clear call on Bragg Street. Mike is yawning, but Chief Hammerstein has another hour or two before he'll hit the hay. He also expects to be awakened at least once while sleeping. His end-of-shift tasks include a report for the incoming District Chief and an activity report for his supervisor.
23:18 - Arrive at Wake County General Services Center on Harrington Street. A black cat crosses ahead of us, unfazed by our passing. The Chief refuels daily. Tonight he pumps 22.25 gallons. On the other side of the fence is the ambulance that crashed on December 6, when a patient jumped into
an idling EMS unit for a short-but-fatal joyride down Falls of Neuse Road. Chief Hammerstein was working that day.
23:28 - Return to Station 8. Day room is empty; ambulance crew is likely asleep. Mike takes some interior shots, and a few photos of the vehicle he's been riding
in. The Chief goes inside and Mike goes home.
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- Submitted by Mike Legeros, CFP-7474
- FireNews.net Staff
Copyright © 2005 -
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