Cheney EMTs fulfilling 2006 levy pledge to increase service level

By BECKY THOMAS

Staff Reporter

The Cheney Fire Department is working to make good on its promises to the public.

While campaigning for an EMS levy in 2006, the department pledged to increase their level of service. Now they're training to deliver additional medical services that could save lives.

“One of the things we told the public was we would upgrade our service level,” Chief Mike Winters said. “We added a few more people to help us out as far as response goes; this is the next step to that.”

Cheney's nine EMTs are enrolled in an Intermediate Life Support class that takes place at the Fire Department three days a week. The class is run by Inland Northwest Health Services and has been opened up to other area EMTs who are also completing the training.

“We tailor-made this class,” Winters said. “We're teaching it three times a week so we catch all of our shifts, A, B and C shifts. They do it all on duty so there's no overtime costs involved.”

The students will be tested on the skills they learned in April, and if they're successful they will be able to perform a new set of procedures in the field.

“We can give some drugs, we can start IVs, we can do some diabetic intervention; some of the drugs we can give will help with narcotic overdoses, things like that,” Winters said. “We can give breathing treatments to some people who have COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or asthma, so there are some definite benefits to the public from that.”

The class started Jan. 5, and last week they focused on intravenous therapy. One EMT, Ben Sabori, practiced on instructor Doug salmon. salmon gave Sabori tips on how to sterilize the injection site and find a viable vein. Sabori is an EMT for the Spokane Tribe of Indians.

“They were gracious enough to let us come,” he said of the Cheney Fire Department.

Other students at the class hailed from Ritzville and Spokane County Fire District No. 3.

“Some of these faces I haven't seen before,” said CFD Lt. Aaron Bollar, who said the class is extremely flexible to allow outside agencies to send their crew members to get the training.

Bollar said the class also offers Cheney EMTs an opportunity to network.

“You're learning a lot about what your neighbors do,” he said. “You get to know people and help each other out and it just builds contacts in the field, which is always beneficial.”

Three identical classes are held each week, and students can choose which day they attend. One class per week is also videotaped for those who can't make any of the times.

Bollar said the Cheney crew members are putting in extra hours reading and studying their textbooks.

“The guys on shift here, it's not abnormal to walk in the day room and see one of the guys with their books and stuff sitting out, because they've been studying,” he said.

While they're putting in the work now, Bollar said the training could help save lives.

For example, he said, if crews responded to a patient in a diabetic coma, they wouldn't be able to give them sugar orally if they were unconscious. After the training is completed, EMTs will be able to give them IV sugar called D50.

“So if we get on scene to a person with known diabetic history and their blood sugar's 50, we're going to be able to start an IV, give them D50 and turn them around almost instantly,” he said. “It's pretty amazing how quick it works.”

Winters said the training will be a major help in dealing with long ambulance response times, which average at 15-17 minutes.

“The sooner we can get there and get an intervention started, the better chances of a positive outcome for the patient,” he said.

The class ends in April, and Winters hopes to have the supplies and policies in place to be able to provide the enhanced service starting July 1.

Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].