Quick response, precise action and teamwork are what make the
South Valley’s American Medical Response function like
clockwork
The Gilroy ambulance was already out on a call when someone else in the city dialed 911 to request an ambulance. So, the ambulance from Morgan Hill, which was in San Martin at the time of the call, set off to help.
As they closed in on the address given, another call came in, which happened to be a higher priority. The ambulance turned around, leaving the original call to Gilroy firefighters, and headed for the new emergency.
On the way to that address, the call was canceled, so the ambulance headed back to the original call site. They got there in time to see the patient, her arm in a splint and sling, thanking firefighters. Three minutes later, while the Gilroy ambulance was still on a call, another Gilroy 911 call came in, and the Morgan Hill ambulance was on its way again.
This is a fairly typical Saturday for South Valley American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance crews.
The call
The Morgan Hill ambulance eventually ended up at a Gilroy big-box store, responding to an employee in the deli section who had slipped and injured her knee. As the paramedic and EMT worked to help the woman, they were required to wear hair nets because they were in a food preparation area.
They used their unusual fashion statement to joke with the patient and help put her at ease. After quickly assessing the situation, paramedic Che King asked other employees for something to cover the slick spot on the floor.
“We just need something to put over this so we don’t slip and become patients ourselves,” he said, eventually ending up with a blue apron on the ground next to the patient.
The scene now safe to work in, King works with his partner as well as a firefighter paramedic and EMT to assess the patient.
As he notes the woman’s pulse and blood pressure and pricks her finger to check her blood sugar level, he asks about the woman’s medical history, if she’s taking any medication, if she has any allergies, what happened and what exactly hurts.
The woman describes severe pain in her knee, so King explains they will have to cut her pant leg to check on her knee. As one member of the crew palpates around the patient’s knee, she tells them when it hurts and how much it hurts when they touch certain areas around her knee and lower leg.
To check the woman’s sensation, King also cuts off her sock and touches her toes, asking her if she can feel it and if she can tell him which one he’s touching.
Finally, King explains to the patient he is going to put her leg in a splint and take her to the hospital. He talks to her and jokes with her, trying to keep her calm as he and his partner work to stabilize her leg before transporting her in the ambulance.
As they work, yet another medical-related 911 call comes in. Fortunately, the Gilroy ambulance has finished its last call and can respond.
Anatomy of a call
Once a medical 911 call comes in, both a fire engine and ambulance are dispatched. Because there are more fire stations than ambulance stations in the South Valley, fire crews will often arrive to the call first. Once both agencies are there, AMR and fire crews work together on scene.
“No one has seniority – we work as a team,” said Jim Howard, a Gilroy Paramedic. “We’re all concerned with the patient’s well-being, so we bounce ideas off one another and we work together to care for the patient.”
How much time AMR spends on scene before transporting a patient to the hospital depends on the situation, Howard explained.
“We look at the patient’s vital signs, we determine the severity of the situation, are they bleeding, having trouble breathing and then we decide how fast we need to get them on a gurney and loaded up,” he said.
On scene, EMTs assist the paramedics.
“He’s like my second right hand,” Howard said of his partner, EMT Matt Bowdish.
EMTs also drive the ambulance while the paramedic works on the patient in the back and communicate the patient’s condition to the hospital.
“I’m always amazed at drivers when we’re coming along Code Three with our lights and sirens going,” Bowdish said. “People need to remember they’re supposed to pull to the right and stop. We have people drive past us waving, people just stop in the middle of the road, people pull to the left. It’s actually dangerous driving Code Three because you never know what other drivers are going to do.”
Once a patient arrives at the hospital, AMR crews have a half hour to do all their paper work and be available to take another call.
The rest of the job
“When we get here in the morning, we make sure everything is where it should be in the ambulance, and that it’s stocked,” Howard said. “Then we do our house duties – we clean, vacuum, do the dishes.”
Aside from medical calls, an ambulance may be dispatched to a fire in case anything happens to a firefighter or a victim is found inside a burning building, Howard said.
When they aren’t on a call, cleaning or restocking the ambulance, or standing by for another emergency response agency, the paramedic and EMT are at their station, which is a converted home. They have access to television and Internet, sleeping quarters and a kitchen and bathroom.
The crews work 24-hour shifts, though some 12-hour shifts are available. Though they can work overtime, and often do, they are not allowed to work more than 36 hours in a row.
AMR Chain Reaction
Morgan Hill has one AMR rig stationed at the El Toro fire station. Gilroy has one rig at the AMR station near the corner of First and Church streets.
If the Gilroy rig goes out on a call, the Morgan Hill rig is required to move down to San Martin. This way, if another call comes out of Gilroy, they’ll be able to respond faster. At the same time, they aren’t too far away if a call comes in from Morgan Hill.
If both ambulances are responding to calls and a third call comes in, the fire departments send out special trucks staffed by a firefighter paramedic and EMT to respond to the call.
The priority of calls is based on how much of an emergency the situation is.
The original call the Morgan Hill rig responded to was a wrist injury, which was considered “non-emergent.” They were diverted to a call that involved a potentially life or death situation, which is considered “emergent.”
In Hollister, there is one ambulance station on San Benito Street and one in downtown San Juan Bautista. If Hollister gets a call, the San Juan unit moves to Highway 156. The Hollister unit does not move if the San Juan unit goes out because the Hollister call volume is much higher.
Hollister puts one extra unit on from 8am to 5pm Saturdays and Sundays.
Behind the 911 Call
This story is the third in a four-part series that answers the question: What happens when you call 911?
Next week: On a call with the Hollister Police Department
