|
Paramedic Service
by Firefighter/Paramedic Derek Rappaport
The Duxbury Fire Department traces its roots in emergency medical services back to 1962 when the town put into service the first ambulance on the entire south shore. The firefighters who staffed it were some of the first in the state trained as emergency medical technicians. The ambulance proved to be of great value to the town. Many communities followed Duxbury’s lead and began working to provide an ambulance service of their own.
In an effort to recapture the same innovative spirit that first brought an ambulance to the Town of Duxbury, the Fire Department has sought and received licensure from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to operate at the advanced life support level. This allows the department to staff ambulances with paramedics who can provide advanced care to the citizens and visitors of Duxbury.
Paramedics receive two years of intensive training to achieve competency in anatomy, physiology, cardiology and pharmacology. Ambulances that are staffed with paramedics employ more advanced equipment and medicine than traditional ambulances, allowing paramedics to administer many of the same treatments and procedures that were formerly only done in the emergency room.
The town of Duxbury first received advanced life support care in 1993 when the Jordan Hospital based 2 paramedics out of the Ashdod station in a nontransporting vehicle. This unit was shared among four towns so it was frequently unavailable for emergencies in Duxbury. As area fire departments began providing their own ALS the need for this unit decreased and it was removed from service in January of 2005. From that time until recently the town received ALS from American Medical Response out of Plymouth. Like the unit provided by the Jordan Hospital, this was also shared with several other towns and when it was available it could take as long as 14 min to respond. The importance of a prompt response in the event of a critical illness or injury is well documented. Irreparable damage occurs once
the human body is without oxygen for four to six minutes. To date, Duxbury Fire Department paramedics average less than four minutes to respond to a critical illness or injury
Although the Duxbury Fire Department is not the first to offer a dedicated advanced life support ambulance to its citizens, it is taking extraordinary steps to ensure that the service it provides is exceptional. All Duxbury paramedics participate in a mentoring program that pairs experienced paramedics with those that are newly certified. The pair remains together for a period of two to three months, during which time the new paramedic receives myriad lectures and participates in almost daily training exercises. Only when the Chief and experienced paramedic are satisfied that the new paramedic is qualified may he or she work without supervision.
The Department has also put into place a scrutinizing and continually evolving quality control system to ensure that its paramedics are practicing at the highest level possible. Calls are reviewed by physicians at the Jordan Hospital and then discussed in an academic setting to give paramedics opportunity to learn from each call they see.
The paramedics of The Duxbury Fire Department are committed to providing excellent patient care with skill, compassion and dignity to those that are ill or injured. If you would like more information about the town’s paramedic service and its capabilities you may call the central fire station and ask for the on duty paramedic.
Duxbury's 1st ambulance which was a 1963 Gerstenslager.
Duxbury's newest ambulance placed into service in September 2005.
| 
