Six Departments Join Forces To Build New EMS Program
Mt. Gilead Fire Department photo.
FEATURES
When the private ambulance services of Morrow County, Ohio, announced they were eliminating all ambulance services, the situation presented six independent fire departments with a challenge to quickly create their own countywide emergency medical service. The result has been more cooperation between the fire departments and improved emergency services for the county.
Morrow County has a population of 25,000 in the heart of northcentral Ohio, 45 miles north of Columbus. Crisscrossed by nine major state highways and Interstate 71 connecting Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, the area has a huge volume of traffic. Agriculture is still the major industry, but several smaller manufacturing plants are scattered throughout the area and more are being developed.
Fire protection is provided by departments in Mt. Gilead, Cardington, Marengo, Edison, Iberia and Johnsville. The six departments operate a total of 27 pieces of equipment. Five out-ofcounty departments protect fringe areas and regularly provide mutual aid to other areas.
Half-female
Emergency medical services are now provided by a countywide, tax-supported system staff entirely by volunteers, half of whom are women. Although the fire departments and the county EMS are technically separate organizations, they function as one. The county squads operate out of the various fire stations.
All fire and EMS units in the county operate on a common radio frequency and are dispatched from a 24-hour communications center in Mt. Gilead operated by the Morrow County Firefighter’s and Squadmen’s Association.
Before 1971, each of the county fire departments operated independently. Communications consisted of a system of fire phones and a fire radio in the county sheriffs office. Cooperation was minimal and, consequently, mutual aid was the exception rather than the rule.
Ambulance service was provided by four funeral directors, with all costs being billed to the user. The emergency services in Morrow County were typical of many rural areas at that time.
Pulling out
In June 1971, a major problem arose in the county, which eventually led to a dramatic increase in the cooperation and effectiveness of the fire departments. The funeral directors announced that due to the increasing financial burden of providing ambulance service, they were suspending all such services after September 1, 1971.
In an effort to obtain some type of ambulance service, the county commissioners invited proposals from private companies. Each proposal involved a subsidy from the county as well as a user service charge. A tax levy placed on the ballot to support such a service was defeated for several reasons. Among them were public ignorance of the seriousness of the problem and reluctance to pay an additional fee for a tax-supported service.
The Cardington and Mt. Gilead Fire Departments began providing ambulance service in late 1971 that eventually covered the entire county. They were using outdated equipment and fire fighters trained only in first aid. It was evident to both departments that such service could only be operated on a temporary basis. A workable alternative was obviously needed.
photo by Harold Ullom.
Possible solution
Representatives of the county fire departments met to discuss possible solutions to the problem. The one that appeared most feasible was to establish EMS as a branch of the fire service, as was being done in the larger metropolitan areas. The representatives reasoned that operating in this manner would allow consolidation of personnel, equipment, housing and communications. It would also minimize response time and would provide backup vehicles with trained personnel for response to major or simultaneous emergencies. The wisdom of this thinking is well recognized today, but in 1971 there was a firmly entrenched group of individuals who argued that EMS had no place in the fire service.
Above the objections of those few, a proposal to provide countywide EMS was drafted and submitted to the county commissioners. Under the proposal, the commissioners were to apply for funds to purchase vehicles and Communications equipment through the Federal Highway Safety Act. The fire departments would form an association, and the commissioners would contract with the association to staff and operate the vehicles.
Another point in the proposal was for the establishment of a 24-hour communications center from which all fire and EMS units in the county could be radio-dispatched. A county tax levy was to provide revenue for operating expenses.
Proposal approved
The commissioners looked favorably on the proposal, and application for federal funding was made in March 1972. Approval was granted for funds to purchase four emergency medical vehicles and associated communications equipment. In May of 1972, a tax levy for operating expenses was approved by voters after a vigorous public education campaign was conducted by the newly formed Morrow County Firefighter’s and Squadmen’s Association.
Equipment was ordered and fire fighters and other volunteers from the community (a person need not be a fire fighter to volunteer for squad duty) began training for certification as emergency medical technicians.
On December 1, 1972, at 12:01 a.m., the Morrow County Emergency Squad became operational with squads operating out of fire stations in Mt. Gilead, Cardington, Marengo and Iberia. At the same time, the central communications center was placed in service, linking the emergency services in all of Morrow County under one network.
Trust and cooperation
Quality emergency medical service was not the only benefit derived from the formation of the association. The central dispatching and the interaction at association meetings bred familiarity among personnel. As familiarity grew, so did trust and cooperation.
Mutual-aid requests began to increase. And mutual-aid requests were being made in the initial stages of the fire, instead of after the building was lost. Fire officers began requesting additional tankers for rural structure fires as they left the station. This eventually evolved into a SOP for dispatching multiple tankers on all rural structure fires.
This routine use of mutual aid also began to change fire fighting tactics. As fire officers developed confidence in the arriving mutual-aid companies, fire fighting shifted from a defensive position of protecting exposures to an offensive position of aggressive attack. The “blitz” attack became a standard operating procedure in rural areas.
Since its inception in 1972, much improvement has been made to an already good system. Now the dispatch office not only has control of all Morrow County units, but it can also tone-alert units in neighboring counties for assistance. Direct squad-to-hospital contact is possible with Morrow County Hospital in Mt. Gilead, as well as hospitals in adjoining Crawford, Knox, Delaware and Marion Counties. A countywide severe weather siren warning system is also controlled from the office.
Disaster plan success
Interdepartmental training sessions have allowed personnel to become familiar with the equipment of the other departments. In late 1980, a mock disaster drill was held to evaluate the county disaster action plan. The drill involved all Morrow County Emergency Services and Morrow County Hospital. The plan proved to be a success—not only in practice but in reality—when it was implemented after a tornado devastated Cardington, Ohio, on June 13, 1981, killing four and injuring over 50 persons.
In mid-1981, a microfilm information system was installed in the dispatch office. By keying in any road number, the dispatcher receives a visual display of the road. This shows the location of addresses and fire and EMS units in the order of their response. Pre-fire plans for every major hazard in the county are also on microfilm for use by dispatchers. The plans are complete with maps of the fireground showing staging areas, water supplies and special hazards. Automatic response assignments are listed at the bottom of each plan along with move-ups to fill in empty stations and equipment that may have to be special-called. Hard copies of all information are to be bound and placed in each piece of apparatus.
The effect of simple cooperation is readily apparent in Morrow County. Ten years ago the emergency services in the area could at best be termed mediocre. Training was minimal, communications were poor, and cooperation was rare. A fireground in Morrow County today will most likely contain equipment and personnel from three or more different fire departments, as well as a county EMS unit.
The author is a former fire fighter, EMT and dispatcher from Mt. Gilead in Morrow County. He is currently a fire protection engineer in the Cincinnati office of Industrial Risk Insurers.
