Wednesday, August 19, 2015
In order to help you better understand where your tax dollars are spent, I want to 
regularly feature county departments and the services they provide.
Lawrence County’s Emergency Medical Service is a great place to start. I’m very proud of the professionals who work there and the technology they have to give top-notch emergency care. Our EMS has maintained an A rating from the state Department of Health for over 20 years, and that grade is not earned easily.
Some counties hire private ambulance companies to provide emergency services, but then have little, if any, say in how those businesses operate. That means no control over personnel, equipment, policies, or pricing. Lawrence County EMS is a good investment for our county, and fees paid by customers and their insurance companies help foot the bill.
I invited EMS Director Larry Glass to my office early this week to talk about his department. I now have a greater appreciation for the work they do, and I believe you will, too.
Twenty-six professionals work for Lawrence County EMS. Their 24-hour shifts begin at 7 a.m.; when it ends they have 48 hours off. There are nine advanced EMTs and 17 paramedics including Glass and Assistant Director Michelle Ayers, who answer calls when needed. At least one paramedic is present on 95% of emergency calls; a fact noted in our annual state reviews.
Advanced EMT is a relatively new certification required by the state, earned with 18 hours of education above the basic licensure. Paramedics and advanced EMTs must re-certify every two years in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLA), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) and CPR. Air Evac provides much of that training at a minimal cost.
The county owns six ambulances. The oldest is a 2010 with about 200,000 miles on it; the others are 2013, 2014 and 2015 models. Four are in service under normal circumstances and are inspected every day; the other two are checked every 72 hours. Ambulances are stationed at the county’s EMS headquarters in Lawrenceburg; at a facility built by the city of Loretto; and at the Ethridge Fire Department.
Before September, 1972, emergency medical transport was provided by local funeral homes. When Lawrence County’s EMS was founded, it was licensed through the state to provide Basic Life Support, what Glass calls “bandaging and splinting.” He and fellow paramedic Richard Bailey both got their start as drivers there in 1978.
Today the service provides Advanced Life Support, which includes many treatments found in emergency rooms across the country. Ambulances are equipped with state-of-the-art monitors that can interpret cardiac emergencies, and emergency personnel can now start IVs and administer medicine that was once only found in hospital settings.
As EMS Medical Director, Dr. Michael Boyd is part of the quality assurance team. He does periodic reviews of patient cases, and gives authorization for employees to provide specialized treatments on site and during transport.
Lawrence County EMS answered 6,318 calls last year, an average of 17 a day if an average day existed. “Public service” calls have increased somewhat with our aging population – ambulance crews respond when, for instance, an elderly person has fallen and no one in the household can help them up. Ambulance calls that don’t require transport are free of charge.
Glass says our E-911 system is “a godsend.” All emergency calls are directed through its central dispatch center, which records every detail about every case. A patient’s exact location is identified with their call, even from cell phones, located by latitude and longitude. That technology and the GPS systems on every ambulance have greatly improved response time. Paired with helicopter transport – a relatively new service in Lawrence County – our residents are getting the care they need more quickly than ever.
The number of ambulances and personnel at EMS is determined by our population, and we have the resources to properly serve our residents. When multiple calls come in from different locations across this large county, however, any amount of resources would be stretched thin.
Glass says EMS employees are like family, which is natural when you work with people 24 hours straight. You might see them enjoying a meal together at a local restaurant, but don’t be alarmed if the ambulances outside are running. Many medications on board can’t tolerate extreme temperatures, so need air conditioning (or heat) at all times.
Glass reminded me of the first recorded instance of emergency care. A Samaritan took pity on a man lying injured in the road he was travelling. He treated his wounds with wine and oil, bandaged them, then put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn for further care. Thank goodness our treatment options have evolved since biblical times, but the heart of emergency care remains the same.
