by Bea Peterson
According to Hoosick Rescue Squad President Bill Gaillard, “Effective Sunday, August 1, the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad will be supported by the Mohawk Ambulance service or Empire Ambulance Service for its Advanced Life Support (ALS) needs through a new County program. Both companies are based in Troy. Gaillard is disappointed the Town cannot use the Bennington Rescue Squad as its primary ALS system. In the past, Gaillard said, Hoosick had depended on Bennington for ALS services. “They were always Johnny on the spot,” he added. If, however, all other services are busy, then Bennington will be asked to respond. “Both Mohawk and Empire are commercially staffed services,” he noted, while the Hoosick Squad is all volunteers.
A Mohawk Ambulance and crew will be stationed at the Hoosick Fire House at least daily from 8 am until 11 pm, though the program may grow to a 24/7 status. The Mohawk Ambulance service will cover Hoosick to the County and State lines and Petersburgh and Berlin as needed. Grafton, Petersburgh and Berlin have been covered by Mohawk from their Brunswick location for the past six months.
Gaillard said the State and County, in conjunction with the State Department of Health have established the following criteria for calls in the Town of Hoosick. If the call is an Alpha (A) or Bravo (B) call, meaning a person is sick, has fallen, may need to be transported to the hospital or is in a non-life-threatening accident then the 911 system will notify the Hoosick Rescue Squad. If the call is a Charlie (C), meaning chest pain, shortness of breath or severe illness, Delta (D), more severe cases or, in the extreme, an Echo (E) call, the two services, Hoosick and Mohawk, and/or Empire, would respond. “Whichever service arrives on the scene first on one of the above type calls will be the transport agency. Should the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad arrive first on a C, D or E call, they will transport with the ALS personnel riding with them,” said Gaillard.
“In the event of a shortage of crews and the Town of Hoosick is unable to respond, then Mohawk or Empire would respond to all A through D calls,” said Gaillard. The same would apply to the surrounding towns in Northeastern Rensselaer County. Gaillard added that all the ambulances are on GPS, so the County knows where they are at all times and they would dispatch the ambulance that can reach those in need the quickest, or at least within 15 minutes.
On Wednesday there must have been a shortage of crews in the morning as the Mohawk Ambulance was seen with flashing lights on Route 22. At other times during the day and evening, the Mohawk on-duty crew traveled through the Village and Town acquainting themselves with the roads and streets.
Requests Unheeded
“It would be ideal if the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad could respond to all calls,” said Gaillard. “But after fifteen years of asking for help in the media, only one or two new people join a year. It takes a year in ‘school’ to train an EMT.” There are three phases of Emergency Medical Technician training. At the EMT-Basic level, coursework emphasizes emergency skills, such as managing respiratory, trauma and cardiac emergencies and patient assessment. Formal courses are often combined with time in an emergency department or ambulance. The program provides instruction and practice in dealing with bleeding, fractures, airway obstruction, cardiac arrest and emergency childbirth. Students learn how to use and maintain common emergency equipment, such as backboards, suction devices, splints, oxygen delivery systems and stretchers. Graduates of approved EMT-Basic training programs must pass a written and practical examination administered by the State licensing agency or the NREMT.
At the EMT-Intermediate level, training requirements vary by State. The nationally defined levels, EMT-Intermediate 1985 and EMT-Intermediate 1999, typically require 30 to 350 hours of training based on scope of practice. Students learn advanced skills such as the use of advanced airway devices, intravenous fluids and some medications. The highest level of training is paramedic, and that is a two year college degree program.
Gaillard said the Hoosick Rescue Squad currently has 20 members and 16 of them are EMTs. Many on the Squad have 20 to 30 or more years in this volunteer field. “New York State requires that an EMT be in charge of patient care at all times,” Gaillard said. He often pleads for new and younger members.
Paramedics provide more extensive pre-hospital care than do EMTs. In addition to carrying out the procedures of the other levels, paramedics administer medications orally and intravenously, interpret electrocardiograms (EKGs), perform endotracheal intubations and use monitors and other complex equipment. However, like the EMT-Intermediate level, what paramedics are permitted to do varies by State. All ALS teams include a paramedic. “We’re here to help whenever we can,” said Mohawk paramedic Ben Bornhorst.
Payment
The Rescue Squad receives financial support from the Town and from contributors.
They annually solicit Village and Town residents for support for up to date equipment and supplies. “Currently,” said Gaillard, “the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad relies only on insurance payment for its service. No money needs to come from the patient, ever. In the event the patient has no insurance, it is a free ride.” Gaillard said if the insurance pays only a portion of the cost incurred during a call, the Squad settles for that portion. The Cambridge Valley Rescue Squad, he said, also relies on insurance payments only and they have recently applied to the Regional Emergency Medical Organization to expand their operating authority into parts of the Town of Hoosick. Gaillard is not optimistic about that outcome with a Mohawk Ambulance and crew now in place. As Gaillard stated, Mohawk Ambulance is a commercial enterprise, with paid staff and they “bill to service.”
Anyone with questions about the service may contact Bill at 686-9715 or Deb Lohnes at 686-0810. “These numbers may be contacted for membership applications also,” said Gaillard. “We always need your help.”
Correct Numbers Important
With more ambulance services in the area and their crews unfamiliar with the highways and byways of the Town of Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls and Northeastern Rensselaer County, it is essential that people have their homes properly numbered. “Last week we went to a house where they had white numbers on a white post,” Gaillard said. No markings, or incorrect markings, waste valuable time in a life or death situation. The Town of Hoosick Fire Department offers 9ll numbers to residents. Forms are available at the Town Hall in the Armory or they can be downloaded from the Town’s website. Reflective numbers are readily available at any hardware store.