Letter to the Editor

EMTs on duty at football games

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Dear Editor,

With the recent incidents of serious injuries occurring at high school football games in Nebraska, I would like to take an opportunity to reassure the parents, family members, and citizens of McCook that advanced emergency medical care is present at all home varsity football games.

Up until two years ago, there was an ambulance at every home varsity football game. This ambulance was fully equipped for any type of emergency and was staffed with at least two emergency medical technicians. The McCook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Squad provided this service during the football games.

MVF&R has since sold its ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, which provides long distance ambulance service to McCook and the surrounding area.

The City of McCook Fire Department currently operates two fully equipped advanced life support ambulances. There are several times throughout the year that both of these ambulances are dispatched to emergency calls simultaneously. When this occurs, Good Samaritan Ambulance Service is contacted and provides backup 911 response for McCook until one of McCook's ambulances are finished with the call and back in service.

The city of McCook also has a quick response vehicle, which is fully equipped with all of the same advanced life support equipment and supplies as our ambulances. We have an agreement with the school to provide emergency medical coverage utilizing this vehicle.

For the past two football seasons, we have staffed this quick response vehicle with two EMTs for each home varsity football game. In the event of an injury or illness that requires emergency medical treatment, the EMTs request that the 911 ambulance respond and begin immediate treatment of the illness or injury. If advanced care is required, there are at least two EMT-Paramedic's who attend every home varsity football game. There are also several physicians who attend the home football games. Once the 911 ambulance arrives (less than three minutes) the patient is stabilized, placed in the ambulance, and transported to the hospital.

This system is very efficient in several ways. First of all, this allows the staff that is at the game with the quick response vehicle to remain at the game and not have to leave the game uncovered to transport a patient. Secondly, this keeps both city 911 ambulances available for 911 emergency calls without taking one out of service for the football game. Lastly, the only difference in having the quick response vehicle at the game versus an ambulance is that the quick response vehicle cannot transport patients.

The equipment and supplies is the same allowing the EMTs and Para-medics to immediately begin treatment and stabilization while the emergency 911 ambulance is en route to the scene for transporting the patient to the hospital.

The EMTs who staff the quick response vehicle are volunteer members of the McCook City and Volunteer Fire Department. We provide this service free of charge to the McCook City Schools and would have it no other way.

The McCook City and Volunteer Fire Department guarantees that the emergency medical services that are provided at every home varsity football game are second to none. McCook is very fortunate to have dedicated volunteer EMTs and Paramedics to provide this valuable service during the football games.

Sincerely,

Marc A. Harpham

Fire Chief/Paramedic

City of McCook Fire Department

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