|
|
Emergency Medical Service In September of 1996, the Council Bluffs Fire Department became the primary provider of pre-hospital emergency care for the City by training the civilian Paramedics in the many aspects of Firefighting. Many of the improvements in pre-hospital medical care that have been implemented since then have been a direct result of this merger. Council Bluffs Fire Department utilizes our Paramedics to not only staff our City's three state of the art Ambulances, but also to provide rapid response to advanced levels of life saving skills on our Fire Engines. Paramedic engine companies are housed in the neighborhood fire stations. Because there are more of these than there are ambulances, there is a good chance that a fire engine will arrive at a medical emergency before an ambulance does. In the great majority of cases, the arrival of definitive medical care to the patient is more critical than the arrival of a vehicle to transport the patient to the hospital. Studies by the American Heart Association have shown a dramatic increase in the survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims who have quick and efficient CPR and defibrillation, followed by rapid access to the 911 system. The implementation of these Paramedic Engine Companies has made this tiered response more seamless and effective, generating a downward trend in response times and saving the lives of our residents every year. © Copyright 2008 City of Council Bluffs, Iowa , All rights reserved.
|
