RIDING WITH EMS

Five a.m. The pager awakens my partner and me. “Officer down.” Adrenaline pumps. We are in the truck and out of the bay in 30 seconds, lights and sirens on, screaming down the road. When we get to the wounded officer, he is pale and sweaty. He has been shot in the leg and upper right abdomen. We get him in a c-collar, a backboard, and loaded into our unit. On the way to the hospital, we have the officer on oxygen. We cut off his clothes to check his wounds. We stop the superficial bleeding; taking his blood pressure and watching his heart rate, we know he is probably bleeding internally. We stay calm and reassure him, because our emotions will reflect in his condition. When we pull up to the emergency room, we have his intravenous lines started, have him on the heart monitor, and doctors and nurses are waiting. An operating room team stands by. We gather our equipment, quickly give our report, and the patient is left with those who will continue his care.

Hospital professionals—doctors and nurses—as well as firefighters, police officers, and military personnel can be found in history books as far back as we can go. Emergency Medical Technicians, however, have only been around since 1969. Fifty years ago funeral homes used hearses to take people to the hospital and no medical care was given on the way. If you were lucky, a doctor might make a house call. Times have changed.

In 1965, National Academy of Sciences published “Accidental Death & Disability: the Neglected Diseases of Modern Society.” The document was studied, and from it, Congress enacted the National Highway Safety Act of 1966. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) emerged from this act with levels of certification for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) --Basic, Intermediate, and Paramedic. The EMT-Basic learns basic skills for handling any emergency before hospitalization. The EMT-Intermediate adds intravenous therapy, advanced airway techniques, and knowledge of some medications. At the Paramedic level, responders learn to care for many types of cardiac ailments needing specific attention long before getting to the hospital.

In 1977, the new profession of Emergency Medical Technician found a home in Guilford County. Guilford Technical Institute was first in North Carolina to implement an Emergency Medical Science Degree Program. The program gives students the opportunity to begin as an EMT-Basic (169 hours of training), advancing to EMT-Intermediate (256 hours), and finishing up with a full two-year associate degree program for EMT-Paramedic (another 1096 hours of training). The program uses the most up-to-date standards of instruction, from a driving simulator for training in skills necessary for ambulance driving in all sorts of traffic situations to simulation manikins allowing practice in handling all types of patient conditions. While EMS may have a short history compared to other health occupations, EMS has evolved over the last fifty years to become one of the largest growing medical professions. Being an EMT at any level takes commitment and compassion. It is very rewarding to help a neighbor in need.

Christy Ridgill has been an EMT for 12 years, and a Paramedic for 7 years in Guilford County. She is an EMS Continuing Education Instructor at GTCC.