The service chronicles listed below were published in the Summer 2008 issue of the KEMSA Chronicle magazine or were submitted to Mary Napier, webmaster. If you would like to submit news from your service for publication in the magazine and on this website, click here to view the submission policy.

Barton County Community College
Barton County Community College recently completed its first paramedic program in the Pratt Community College service area.  This program was started through a cooperative agreement between Barton and Pratt and has proven to be successful for all parties involved, most importantly the EMS within Pratt’s service area.  The second program began in January 2008 and has 10 students currently enrolled.  Barton also finished the final touches on their Mobile Simulation Lab (MSL).  The MSL will allow Barton to provide simulation training to all students taking EMS courses through the college.

Burrton Ambulance Department
The Burrton Ambulance Department was the recipient of a 2007 AFG grant for $135,000 to purchase a new ambulance.  The department chose a 4x4 F-450 Lifeline from Larry Kness at Rocky Mountain Emergency Vehicles.  It is scheduled to be delivered at the 2008 KEMSA Last Blast in Wichita. 

Cheyenne County EMS
Cheyenne County EMS was recently awarded a grant for a new ambulance for the Bird City Volunteer staff. This new ambulance will also be used in St. Francis when needed and to do transfers. Cheyenne currently has four ambulances in the county, with one of the two older ones needing replaced. They take pride in their equipment and service, so they can’t wait to start using the new ambulance when it arrives.
The EMS office is currently stationed in St. Francis with two other ambulances. The EMSA office along with the fire department moved into a NEW facility being built by volunteers through the KanStep Program in mid-March 2008. The new building has much more storage room, larger ambulance bays, and a GREAT OFFICE to work out of.
Thanks to Mike Hanson TO/I and Mark Mills TO/II who had a busy 2007 re-certifying the techs and who are keeping busy in 2008. Cheyenne also has 23 volunteers within the county. That doesn’t mean they are all active, just that if needed they could respond. They rely heavily on a handful that can always be counted on for long distance transfers, short transfers for testing, etc…However, they COULD ALWAYS USE MORE EMTS as could any volunteer service.

Ellinwood EMS
April 16, 2008, Ellinwood EMS, in conjunction with the Ellinwood After Prom Parents, Ellinwood Fire Department, and area law enforcement agencies conducted a DUI consequences drill for Ellinwood High School Students.  A mock crash took place behind the high school.  Three students on their way to prom and three students who chose to go partying collided in a head-on accident with deadly consequences.  The students playing the roles in the drill were all members of the third Ellinwood High School EMT course.   In addition to the six students involved in the scenario, two other students from the class responded with EMS and assisted in extrication and patient care.  One student died in the crash and was transferred from the scene by Kimple Funeral Home. Two students were transferred code red, one was transferred code yellow, and two were taken to jail. One was charged with Minor in Possession and one was charged with DUI. It was a great experience for the students.

Garden City Community College
Garden City Community College paramedic students have been busy. The first annual “Ride For The Future” motorcycle ride was held April 26. It brought together EMS, Fire, and Law Enforcement personnel for networking and support BEFORE the disaster. A secondary goal was to raise scholarship funds for students in all three public safety disciplines. Paramedic students assisted with the registration and the execution of the ride, which consisted of two routes. Supper was provided at the end with a multitude of door prizes given out. It was deemed a success and plans are already in the making for the 2nd annual “Ride for the Future” next year.
In addition, the students assisted with this year’s Kansas Mission of Mercy dental clinic held at the Finney County fairgrounds. Thousands of patients who would have otherwise had no dental care gathered in the early morning hours to receive such care. Paramedic students assisted personnel from Finney County EMS with stand by coverage for this event. The students who assisted were pleased that they had the opportunity to help the community with this event.

Junction City Fire/EMS
Junction City Fire/EMS was awarded the SAFER grant and will be hiring six FF/EMTs or FF/MICTs. Interested parties can visit www.jcks.com. JCFD also took part in Operation Prom, a mock accident scene staged on the Junction City High School Campus. The scenario was of a two vehicle head-on collision with four total patients. The accident was staged to show the dangers of drinking and driving. Lifestar Air Ambulance, JCPD, JCFD, and Geary County Emergency Management all participated in this exercise, which was coordinated by Matt Pacquette, a JCPD officer who is assigned as a school Resource Officer.

Labette Health EMS

Labette Health EMS just placed five new ambulances in service.  They are 2008 Chevy C4500s made by Wheeled Coach.  The crew is excited about the new units as they have more room for patients and equipment.  The units were designed by a vehicle committee made up of each of the three shifts.  The units went into service the last week of April.  EMS week was celebrated with a large BBQ for area EMS and First Responders.  This has become an annual event and again was well attended.  Finally, Labette EMS will host its 4th annual Kids Camp on June 13 for 150 local 7-11 year olds. 

Leavenworth County EMS
Leavenworth County EMS began construction on their new satellite station in the City of Leavenworth in May 2008. The 8056 sq. foot station will host four ambulance bays including their new MCI trailer acquired through Regional Homeland Security at the end of 2007.
Also, Leavenworth County EMS units have added a new piece of equipment to their inventory, which is the Rad-57 carboxy/methemoglobin monitors. The seven units were purchased or acquired through grant funding. An additional piece of equipment to be deployed in mid-June is the CPAP device that was recently purchased at the beginning of the year.
At the end of 2007, Leavenworth County EMS took possession of two AEV 4500 Chevy ambulances, which have been seen recently in the EMS chronicle on AEV’s sales page. Leavenworth County is currently in the process of bidding for two more units at this time.

Life Star of Kansas
Life Star of Kansas celebrated its 20th anniversary in February having opened for business in February 1988. During that time, the service has safely transported more than 12,000 patients and flown more than 2,000,000 miles. From its beginning as a one helicopter service in Topeka, Life Star added a base in Junction City in 2001, a base in Lawrence in 2003, and a base in Osage City in 2007. Five of the 1988 employees still work for them: Dan Hudson, Mick McCallum, Les Milam, Penny Stallbaumer, and Larry Temple.
In March, Life Star of Kansas achieved its 5th consecutive successful accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). CAMTS is a national accrediting agency that reviews every aspect of a program’s operation, from aviation and patient safety to clinical care to communications to management. Accreditation is an intense, but voluntary process and is good for three years. Life Star of Kansas was among the first transport programs in the country to successfully complete the accreditation process in 1996 and has been accredited since.
Life Star of Kansas will host its sixth annual Critical Care Symposium on October 29-31, 2008 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka. This event brings national speakers to Topeka for an intense 2-1/2 days of learning from among the best instructors in the country. This year, for the first time, there will be separate pre-hospital and hospital education tracts. For details and other information about Life Star, check out their website: www.kslifestar.org.

Overland Park Fire Department
Overland Park Fire Department and Infection Control/Emerging Concepts, Inc. proudly present Katherine West and James Cross in an Advanced Designated Infection Control Officer Training Course - August 27, 2008. Click here to download the brochure.

Overland Park Fire Department and Infection Control/Emerging Concepts, Inc. proudly present Katherine West and James Cross in a Designated Infection Control Officer Training Course - August 28-29, 2008. Click here to download the brochure.

Overland Park Fire Department now has a recruitment video, which is less than 1 minute long. If you want to learn more about OPFD, click here to view the video.

Rice County EMS
Members from Rice County EMS and Ellinwood EMS gathered in Ellinwood on May 3 to complete Field Ops training for seven students from Barton County Community College. The students were from the class taught by co-instructors Debbie Glenn and Heather Frank. Lab Assistants who helped were Holli Newman and Brittney Glenn, along with staff member Sharon Pearsall. They worked in teams of three to complete seven different scenarios. The scenarios conducted were: chest pain, diabetic, asthma attack, anaphylactic reaction, impaled object, spinal injury, and stroke. The students worked out of an Ellinwood EMS Ambulance, and the patients were transported to the Ellinwood District Hospital where they were released to the RN on duty. The whole day was very educational and a lot of fun for all involved.

Wheeled Coach
Wheeled Coach Industries announced that Scott Barnes joined the Company as Vice President of Sales & Marketing effective April 16, 2008. In his new position, Barnes will be responsible for leading the sales and marketing team for Wheeled Coach’s complete line of emergency vehicles. Scott has over 38 years experience in the Fire and EMS industry dating back to 1979 when he became a dealer for the company.

Winfield Area EMS
Winfield Area EMS is very busy right now with new protocols and equipment. Currently, training is underway for newly purchased EZ Intraosseous drills and the addition of new medications into their standing order regimen. WAEMS has also provided Medical Operations training for several CERT classes and CPR/AED training to CCFD #3 with their newly acquired Lifepack 1000.
The WAEMS Reserves have also been busy providing EMS standbys at numerous local motor-cross races and wrestling tournaments. The reserves have just received their own new Lifepack 1000 AED and will soon have training on its operation.
WAEMS also planned nurmerous activities for National EMS Week including a public proclamation by Winfield’s mayor and a local radio spot to promote public knowledge of EMS. Healthcare lectures to area senior citizen groups and a pancake feed for William Newton Memorial Hospital staff, local law enforcement, and fire services were also a hit. After EMS week activities wrapped up, WAEMS relaxed and honored its own with a family BBQ and pool party.

The KEMSA Chronicle is pleased to accept submissions for the KEMSA Service Chronicles. Submissions should be no more than four reasonable paragraphs in length due to space considerations.

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To submit Service Chronicles and photos to the editor, send an e-mail to Mary Napier before the deadlines below.