Project Grant H79TI086761

EMS TRAINING FOR AEMT & PARAMEDICS - WE ARE REQUESTING SAMHSA GRANT FUNDING TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ALS PERSONNEL TO OUR COMMUNITY AMBULANCE SERVICE. WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO ACTIVE ADVANCED EMT'S (AEMT) AND TWO PARAMEDICS. ONE OF OUR AEMT'S WORKS OUT OF THE AREA WEEKDAYS AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS. BOTH OF OUR PARAMEDICS ARE CAREER FIREFIGHTERS AND ARE AVAILABLE WHEN THEIR SCHEDULES PERMIT. THIS YEAR WE WOULD LIKE TO ADD 6 ADDITIONAL AEMT'S AND 2 PARAMEDICS TO OUR ROSTER. THIS WOULD ALLOW USE TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE ALS PROVIDER PER SHIFT. OUR MISSION STATEMENT: BROOKS AMBULANCE, INC. IS A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT, ALL-VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE SERVICE DEDICATED TO PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL AND COMPASSIONATE MEDICAL CARE TO OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE AN EMERGENCY TRANSPORT SERVICE WITH TWO AMBULANCES THAT ARE LICENSED TO THE PARAMEDIC LEVEL. WE ARE IN RURAL WALDO COUNTY, MAINE AND SERVE THE TOWNS OF BROOKS, JACKSON, MONROE, AND KNOX A TOTAL POPULATION OF 3,520. WE ARE SUPPORTED BY COMMUNITY DONATIONS AND BILL FOR OUR SERVICES. WE RESPOND TO CALLS IN OUR COMMUNITY OF 3,520 WITH 8 ACTIVE EMS PERSONNEL. ALL THESE MEMBERS OF OUR SERVICE HAVE "REGULAR" JOBS THAT TAKE THEM OUT OF TOWN DURING THE WEEKDAYS. THIS LEAVES ONE OR SOMETIMES TWO EMT'S AVAILABLE DURING THE DAY. EVENING AND OVERNIGHT SHIFTS ARE BEING COVERED BY A SMALL GROUP OF DEDICATED PEOPLE THAT MUST WORK THE NEXT DAY. OUR COMMUNITY CONSISTS OF THE TOWNS OF BROOKS, JACKSON, MONROE, AND KNOX A COMBINED POPULATION OF 3520 RESIDENTS USING 2020 CENSUS NUMBERS. WE HAVE SEEN A 7% INCREASE IN POPULATION IN THE LAST 10 YEARS WHILE THE COUNTY OF WALDO HAS SEEN AN INCREASE OF 2.6%. IF WE DIVIDE THE PROJECT COST OF $221,985.00 BY 3520 RESIDENTS THE COST ANNUALLY PER RESIDENT IS $63.00. IF WE AMORTIZE THAT OVER 20 YEARS, THE COST PER RESIDENT DROPS TO $3.15 PER YEAR. THE BROOKS AMBULANCE WILL ESTABLISH A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR CURRENT EMT'S AND AEMT'S IN OUR DEPT. THIS WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR 6 TRAINED AND LICENSED EMT'S TO ADVANCE THEIR LICENSES TO THE ADVANCED EMT OR AEMT LEVEL. AN AEMT IN THE STATE OF MAINE IS LICENSED TO PROVIDE ALL OF THE BASIC LIFE-SAVING (BLS) SKILLS THAT AN EMT CAN PERFORM AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL INTERVENTIONS WITH EQUIPMENT AND MEDICATIONS. WE WILL ALSO TRAIN 2 CURRENTLY LICENSED AEMT'S TO THE PARAMEDIC LEVEL. IN MAINE A LICENSED PARAMEDIC IS ALLOWED TO PERFORM NUMEROUS LIFESAVING SKILLS AS WELL AS ADMINISTER 40 DIFFERENT MEDICATIONS AND OPERATE A HOST OF DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT. TRAINING TO BE A PARAMEDIC REQUIRES A SUBSTANTIAL COMMITMENT ON THE PART OF THE STUDENT. THERE IS 1400 HOURS OF TRAINING ALONE. ALL THIS IS CRAMMED INTO A ONE-YEAR COURSE WITH CLASSES AND CLINICAL STUDIES ON NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS. WE HAVE SEVERAL CURRENT AEMT'S INTERESTED IN MAKING THE COMMITMENT. WE WILL MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS AND WILL NOT DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANY CANDIDATE FOR ANY REASON. ONCE WE HAVE A MINIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS, WE WILL COMPLETE THEIR TRAINING IN A ONE-YEAR PERIOD. THIS TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A COMBINATION OF DISTANCE LEARNING, CLASSROOM AND HANDS ON SKILL TRAINING AS NEEDED. WE WILL TEST THESE STUDENTS AND CERTIFY THEM TO A NATIONAL STANDARD FOR AEMT'S AND PARAMEDIC. THAT STANDARD IS CALLED THE NATIONAL REGISTRY OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS OR NREMT. WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A TIER 2 NALOXONE DISTRIBUTION CENTER AT OUR FACILITY AND HOPE TO TRAIN OVER THREE HUNDRED WALDO COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS OF OVERDOSE AND ADMINISTER NALOXONE DURING AN OVERDOSE. WE WILL ALSO TRAIN THESE SAME THREE HUNDRED FIREFIGHTERS ON HOW TO RECOGNIZE AND DEAL WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN THEMSELVES, THEIR FELLOW FIREFIGHTERS, EMT'S AND IN THEIR COMMUNITY. WE LACK TRAINED PERSONNEL TO RESPOND TO CALLS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE WEEKDAYS FROM 8:00 AM TO 4:00 PM. IN 2021 WE MISSED 24 CALLS OR 7% OF 338 AND IN 2022 THAT NUMBER WAS 35 CALLS OR 9% OF 364, OUR TOTAL CALL VOLUME. WE ARE PARTICULARLY DEFICIENT WHEN IT COMES TO ALS SUPPORT FROM OUR SERVICE. OVER 30% OF OUR CALL VOLUME ARE ALS CALLS