02 City Council Minutes 8-09-04 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Regular City Council Meetrng August 9, 2004 Page 12 everyone on the scene, including Fire, Police and EMS personnel by parking their apparatuses to use as a shield. Fire Chief Grooms said he had included in the handout the minimum staffing standards recommended by the NFPA, which he said they use as a gauge for their protocol. Councilman Wilson said that every time the rescue truck rolls, that puts not only the City personnel at risk, but also the citizens of Paris at risk, and he felt they should only respond to a wreck if it could have injuries. Fire Chief Grooms said the problem is that people who dial 911 don't always give the necessary information to be able to respond correctly. On a question from Councilman Bell, Fire Chief Grooms said the City does receive reimbursement on the EMS Contract. He indicated that all his personnel were trained as EMT's. Chief Grooms explained that the first responder protocols are dictated by the Medical Director and Provider. He said the EMT's cannot do as much as the Paramedic's can do. He said they carry the defibrillators. He indicated he has EMT's trained to the intermediate level in his department as well as some trained as paramedics. Kent Klinkerman, Director of EMS, came forward and explained that when someone gets on the scene of an accident inside the city limits, there is enough to do in basic life support, such as CPR, hemorrhage control. He said the fire department gets there within three to five minutes and the ambulance is a minute behind them. He explained that they are working under a medical director's license and no one can lift a finger without his direction. Councilman Wilson asked if there was a difference in the protocol between the city and county calls for a wreck. Mr. Klinkerman said the only time a rescue truck rolls outside of the City limits is a wreck.