Norfolk Emergency Personnel Have Been Delivering ALS Services For Five Years

February 5, 2010 marked the fifth anniversary of when Norfolk’s Advanced Life Support (ALS) began delivering fire department based paramedic in-the-field pre-hospital care to the community.

During the past five years the Department’s firefighter/paramed­ics have documented 664 patients who, through ALS interventions, had positive outcomes upon arrival to a medical facility.

Norfolk’s ALS effort started with a diabetic patient, who was un­conscious and barely breathing. That day, February 5, 2005, then Firefighter/Paramedic Mike Findlen, now a Lieutenant, and Russ Hall, who now directs the Holden Fire Department’s ALS, revived the patient in-the-field. Support for Norfolk’s ALS was galvanized during the summer of 2004 when a public safety employee skirted death after suffering an anaphylactic shock from a bee sting. Only the efforts of hospital based paramedics providing medication saved this patient’s life.

However, this incident brought to light problems with hospital based ALS, like all ALS services, time and distance must be com­pressed if a patient is to be revived or have a positive outcome. Then Board of Selectman Jack McFeeley, now Wrentham’s Town Administrator, directed local government to produce a template for the creation of the Fire Department’s ALS effort. McFeeley would be named the “Godfather of ALS” by the Fire Department.

Then Town Finance Officer Jack Hathaway, now Town Adminis­trator, Selectman Jim Lehan and Fire Captain Peter Petruchik, were virtually locked into an office for the day, a day where the plan for ALS was unveiled. The plan called for Norfolk to start hiring Fire­fighter/ Paramedics in a structured manner to gain the state required staffing of two firefighter/paramedics on each shift. The first hired members were Russ Hall and Richard Yunker, which provided the required staffing of two paramedics on two of the four shifts. Funding was also established to certify existing staff members, Richard Clancy and Mark Haigh as paramedics and to purchase the near $75,000 in ALS equipment.

Reaching October, 2006, the third hiring took place, David Rus­so and ended in April, 2008, when all shifts were finally staffed al­lowing for ALS to be delivered twenty four hours a day, seven days a week with the hiring of Mark Amiot. Those hired had a combined career of well over 40 years as paramedics, the proven strength of Norfolk’s ALS.

Statistics for the firefighter/paramedics show their treatment of 213 patients during 2009 in severe distress suffering from cardiac emergencies, difficultybreathing, chest pains, asthma or allergic re­actions. Furthermore, a total of 13 patient’s lives were saved by the firefighter/paramedics using a newly approved pre-hospital breath­ing assist for patients unable to move adequate oxygen to sustain themselves. This program is Constant Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). To clearly depict the benefit of fire department based ALS, Norfolk’s staff in 2005 provided 97 IVS for the administration of medications while in 2009 that number nearly quadrupled to 281. Use of the cardiac monitor increased nearly six times from 66 uses in 2005 to 350 in 2009.

Fire Chief Cole Bushnell related the value of the Fire Depart­ment’s ALS, stating, “Too many people measure the success of ALS through the revival of patients in cardiac arrest. So many variables enter into the revival of such patients, such as medical history and whether CPR was started immediately. While the Department’s fire­fighter/ paramedics can point to the eight patients revived, the real value of ALS can be seen treating those patients having a cardiac emergency, such as the blockage of blood flow around the heart, people having difficultybreathing and allergic reactions. Medica­tions carried on the Rescues allow the firefighter/paramedics to im­mediately resolve these problems creating a situation where a pa­tient is transported to the hospital already having basic emergency room care provided.”

The Chief recounted several medical emergencies where extraor­dinary care was provided. One was a cardiac arrest at a local busi­ness. Civilians used the on-site automatic external defibrillator to re-start the patient’s heart and responding paramedics sustained the patient with medications. Another was a homeowner who fell from a ladder with broken bones. The patient was in far too much pain to be moved or even provided initial treatment. Firefighter/paramed­ics administered pain management medication, which then allowed the staff to ready the patient for transport and to have a pain free transport to the hospital. The two cases which stick out in the Chief’s collection of stories were dads who were suffering heart attacks in the their home with family present. While treating the patient remains the focal point of the firefighter/paramedics, the family must be included in the treat­ment and the members did just that. Both dads made complete re­coveries. While ALS has community support, Chief Bushnell still struggles to get the word out through the Board of Selectmen and local me­dia. “I am still amazed at the stories related of people having heart attacks and transporting themselves or having family members transporting them untreated to the hospital. Doing this is like going to the casino and betting the long shot. Norfolk is such a well edu­cated community, it is disappointing to hear people say “why do we need ALS, it is a short ride to any hospital.” My answer is always ask someone who has used our ALS!” Norfolk’s firefighter/paramedics are Lieutenant Mike Findlen, Mark Amiot, Richard Clancy, Charlotte Giovanella, Dave Johnston, Jamie Masterson, David Russo and Rich Yunker. Mark Haigh is an on call Firefighter/Paramedic and Pat Rockett serves as a Provision­al Firefighter/Paramedic.