OLD LYME — We’re delighted to launch a new monthly column today and we are indebted to Doris Coleman for making it happen. She is a member of the Old Lyme Ambulance Association (OLAA) and came up with the idea of sharing the OLAA monthly statistics related to calls provided to the community with our readers.
She then discussed the idea extensively with her colleagues and ultimately they took a vote on the proposal, which passed successfully.
So here we are ready to share the statistics for the first month, September 2019, but Coleman has decided she would go the extra mile and give us an extra snippet of information related to the OLAA each month.
For this inaugural column, she has chosen to explain how the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were formed.
The idea of creating an EMS evolved from the care of wounded soldiers in time of war coupled with the need for transportation of civilian accident victims who were being transported to hospital by Department of Transportation police officers or firefighters.
In 1966, the National Association of Sciences published the groundbreaking work, Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society, which revolutionized the way we view and manage care in this country. Hospitals and doctors felt that these injury victims should be medically treated during transportation, but only approximately 8 percent of medical service providers at that time were trained in basic first aid by organizations such as the American Red Cross and 23 percent in advanced EMS skills.
In 1970, the National Registry of EMTs (NR-EMTs) was formed but only 1,520 of the registered personnel were trained as EMTs in the United States. By 1973, all states trained their EMTs to a national standard set by NR-EMT. Today, there are over 20,000 EMS providers in just Connecticut alone.
For the month of September 2019, Old Lyme EMS ambulance responded to 63 calls:
Falls 14
Pain /sickness 13
Injuries
Diabetic problems 2
Breathing problems 6
Abdominal pain 1
Chest pain 1
Cardiac arrest 1
Stroke (CVA) 3
Altered mental status 9
Traffic accidents (MVA) 6
Medical device alarms 2
Hazardous material 1
Stand-by 1
Lift assist 1
TOTAL 63
*CVA: cerebro-vascular accident
*MVA: motor vehicle accident
For the month of October 2019, the Old Lyme EMS Ambulance Service responded to 73 calls. The number of runs increased by 10 over the previous month. Breathing problems nearly doubled compared to September, probably due to the fall season increasing the prevalence of hay fever, which in turn, can exacerbate the health of people suffering from compromised lung diseases.
Falls 12
Pain/sickness 13
Injuries 0
Diabetic problems 0
Breathing problems 11
Abdominal 2
Chest pain 8
Cardiac arrest 0
Stroke/CVA 2
Altered mental status 4
Traffic acc./MVA 8
Medical device alarms 3
Hazardous material 0
Stand-by 0
Lift assist 0
Fire 2
Cold exposure 1
Convulsion/seizure 2
Unconscious/fainting 3
Allergic reaction 1
Overdose 1
TOTAL: 73
*CVA: cerebro-vascular accident
*MVA: motor vehicle accident
The above terms and categories will be elaborated on in future monthly articles.
If you have an interest in volunteering with the Old Lyme Ambulance or would like to find out more about their work, you are welcome to stop by the Ambulance Association on Cross Lane, Old Lyme, or call 860-434-0089.