Firefighters in N.C. City Honored for Lives Saved
Feb. 25--A fire department typically deals with situations such as burning structures, but in Mount Airy's case diversification has allowed it to also make a difference in medical emergencies.
More than 50 cases have now occurred in which people at the brink of death have been able to go on living thanks to city firefighters' response to those types of calls.
And its reaching of the 50-lives-saved milestone has brought special recognition to the Mount Airy Fire Department from the county emergency services operation.
An award certificate denoting the 50 saves was presented to Fire Chief Zane Poindexter and Mayor Deborah Cochran during a meeting last week by Jose Butron, basic life support coordinator for the Surry County EMS.
"We don't give lifesaving awards every day," Butron, who coordinates first-responder services of fire departments and rescue squads across the county, said of the special achievement the recognition represented.
Saves credited to the Mount Airy Fire Department -- which Poindexter said Tuesday now total about 55 -- cover a period that began in 1997 when the department launched a medical program that was limited to cardiac-only responses.
The lifesaving effort became accelerated in 2011 with an expanded program in which department members answer all types of medical calls within the city.
Each of the more than 50 saves was carefully evaluated by a county audit committee to gauge the difference that first-response efforts made in the outcome of an emergency case, with Butron saying saves are dutifully earned.
Restoring a pulse to a patient or having one breathing on his or her own by the time that person reaches the hospital are among the criteria he mentioned.
As the fire department's medical program has evolved it has seen a much better return on outcomes, officials say.
A rapid response to emergencies and tenacity by personnel once arriving are among the reasons for that, Poindexter said of the objective to provide initial care in a medical crisis before advanced treatment can be rendered by the Surry EMS.
"It's very comforting to know that within a couple of minutes of having a medical emergency you're going to have two trained EMTs (emergency medical technicians) on the scene," the fire chief said Tuesday.
"And that really bodes well for the city," he added of the fire unit's first-response presence. "That's one reason it has gotten to 50 (saves) faster than most departments."
The difference between facing a medical crisis in the city limits and elsewhere can literally be life and death, according to Poindexter. He said a response might not come in some rural areas for 10 to 15 minutes -- stretching the window of opportunity in cases of cardiac or respiratory arrest.
"Our guys are very focused," Poindexter said of the concern personnel at an emergency scene exhibit toward a patient's well-being.
"They're real aggressive in their treatment -- they're not timid," the fire chief said. "They really jump in."
Saving 50-plus lives didn't come by accident, Poindexter emphasized.
"It just shows the skills, professionalism and training that our guys have dedicated themselves to over the past several years."
Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter.
Copyright 2015 - The Mount Airy News, N.C.
