ARE ALL AMBULANCES THE SAME?
Residents of the Richmond Lenox EMS Service Area,
At a recent Township Board meeting I was asked whether or not all ambulances were the same? It is my belief the answer surprised both the Board Members and the citizens in the audience. For this reason I decided to take an opportunity during this 2009 EMS week, to outline the difference between Basic Life Support ambulances and Advanced Life Support ambulances in the information which follows.
Richmond Lenox EMS is owned jointly by Richmond Township and Lenox Township and has been operating since 1975. This model of shared community service has kept our cost at a minimum and allowed us to reinvest the revenues we receive from billing insurance companies, into the personnel and equipment necessary to provide Advanced Life Support to a number of communities.
In this area we are fortunate that all ambulances operated by the Richmond Lenox EMS Ambulance Authority are equipped at the Advanced Life Support level. Each unit is staffed by employees who have many years of experience
and a call volume which insures they have the expertise to perform the highly technical procedures, necessary to save lives. In contrast, due to the cost of providing Advanced Life Support and the difficulty in retaining qualified personnel. Many communities in our state provide only basic life support ambulances, staffed by technicians at the lowest level of EMS licensing.
Therefore, on behalf of all those we are called to serve I would like to say thank you, as it is only through the continued support of your communities that Richmond Lenox EMS is able to provide the highest level of EMS service allowed by law, at the least cost possible.
Jeffery R. White
Richmond Lenox EMS
(586) 727-2184
Ambulance Equipment Levels
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Basic Life Support Ambulance
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RLEMS Advanced Life Support Ambulance
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Airway Equipment
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· Oxygen
· Nasal Cannulas & Oxygen masks
· Bag Valve Mask
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· Oxygen
· Nasal Cannulas & Oxygen masks
· Bag Valve Mask
· Pulse Oximeter
· Laryngoscopes for Intubation (Tube down throat)
· Cricothyrotomy (Surgical hole in trachea/windpipe)
· CPAP masks (for CHF patients, forces fluid out of lungs)
· Chest Decompression Kits (placing hole in chest to relieve collapsed lung)
· Numerous Medications (Albuterol, Alupent, Atrovent, Hurricane Spray, Terbutaline, Versed)
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Trauma Equipment
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· Splints & Bandages
· Cervical collars and backboards
· Burn Sheets
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· Splints & Bandages
· Cervical collars and backboards
· Burn Sheets
· MAST pants
· Intravenous (IV) fluids to treat shock (Lactated Ringers and Sodium Chloride 0.9%)
· Medication – Dexamethasone (head injuries)
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Cardiac Care Equipment
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· AED (defibrillation only)
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· 12 Lead EKG Monitor (identify heart attacks and transmit to hospital)
· Synchronized Cardioversion (slow rapid heart rates)
· Pacemaker (speeds up heart rates)
· Manual Defibrillator (restart heart)
· Numerous Medications (Adenosine, Amiodarone, Aspirin, Atropine, Calcium Chloride, Dopamine, Epinephrine, Lasix, Lidocaine, Magnesium Sulfate, Morphine, Nitro-paste, Nitroglycerine, Sodium Bicarbonate, Verapamil, Zofran)
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Diabetic Treatment
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· Oral Glucose (conscious patients only)
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· Glucometer
· Oral Glucose (conscious patients)
· Intravenous (IV) fluids
· Medications - Dextrose 50% (for unconscious patients) & Glucagon
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Seizure Treatment
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· Supportive care only
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· Intravenous (IV) fluids
· Medications - Ativan and Valium (To stop seizures)
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Allergic Reactions
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· Epi pen (Intramuscular injection)
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· Intravenous (IV) fluids
· Epinephrine (subcutaneous or IV for severe reactions)
· Benadryl (Given in IV to slow reaction)
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Specialty Equipment
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· OB Kits
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· OB Kits
· Intraosseous drills-ability to drill into Bone marrow to adminster medication
· Children's Tylenol
· Narcan (for narcotic overdoses)
· Pain medications (Morphine, Dilaudid, Valium, Versed)
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About Richmond Lenox EMS Employees
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# of EMS Employees
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Average # of Years of Service of Employees
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% of EMS Employees who live in Communities served by RLEMS
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41
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10 Years
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73%
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Training Levels
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Basic EMT (Basic Life Support Ambulance)
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Paramedic (Advanced Life Support Ambulance)
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Minimum of 280 hours
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Minimum of 950 hours
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Cost for Operation of one Advanced Life Support Ambulance
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Nationally
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Richmond Lenox EMS Annual Cost
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$500,000 to $650,000 per Ambulance
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$477,000 per Ambulance
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Average Response Times
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State of Michigan average response time for cardiovascular problems (Heart Attacks)
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Richmond Lenox EMS average response
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7 minutes
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6.75 minutes
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