Emergency response at the touch of a button

"Clancy! Fred fell off our roof and landed on the wood pile! He hurt his back real bad and he can't move! What should I do?"

"What was he doing up on the roof?"

"Trying to put out the fire in the chimney? What should I do? Can you run over?"

"Well, I don't know much about putting out a chimney fire."

"Dang the chimney fire! My husband's hurt! What should I do?"

"Maybe you should call the fire department anyway. What do you think?"

"Geez, Clancy, you're no help! Hang up your phone! I'm gonna call the McFaddens! They'll know what to do."

I hope they're home.

Well, what should you do? Think fast, that's a real emergency.

Call 9-1-1. That's nine-one-one. Even in rural Alpine County, call 911. Help will come. Yes, help will come.

Alpine County, like nearly all areas in the country, is set up to respond to 911 calls. Have you ever thought what kind of planning, organizing, training, and staffing is required to respond to the full range of emergencies that come with a 911 call? Just how does that work?

Here on the east side of the Sierra, in Alpine County, it goes something like this:

A 911 call, whether by cell phone or land line, is answered by the dispatcher at the Douglas County Communications Center. Yes, our neighbors in Nevada provide that service for the Carson Valley and the surrounding area. That dispatcher takes down the relevant information and, if the emergency is in Alpine County and is during the hours our sheriff's dispatcher is on duty, the call is immediately transferred to the Alpine County dispatcher who initiates the response. During off duty hours, the Douglas County dispatcher initiates the response. For Fred's situation above, a signal is sent to the pagers of the volunteer firefighters for the station that covers that area. A tone signal is also sent to all five of the emergency medical technicians on the east side of the Sierra. If the emergency is up county, the five at Kirkwood are contacted. All 10 are volunteers. An ambulance is automatically dispatched from the East Fork Fire District in Douglas County. The nearest sheriff's deputy heads to the scene.

One or more of the EMTs responds to the signal, gets the information, hops into one of the Alpine County ambulances, and heads to the scene. If they don't know the location of the emergency from personal knowledge, they depend on the dispatcher having obtained good information from the caller.

It is really important for people to have signs out in front of their houses showing the street addresses.

Fire engines from the volunteer fire department are on the way in minutes. The sheriff's deputy is probably there first because he is probably in or near his vehicle.

The EMTs immobilize and treat the victim, and the fire department douses the fire. The EMTs, all trained and certified, apply the protocol that governs their actions and determines the method of transportation to a medical facility. If the nature of the injury warrants a helicopter, one is requested and arrangement is made as to where the transfer from ambulance to helicopter is to take place. Medical personnel talk about the "Golden Hour," the fact that for many injuries or situations, like a heart attack, chances for recovery are greatly enhanced if the proper treatment is begun within the first hour. So, for the example above, response was quick enough to put out the fire and the victim was safely on his way to a hospital, all happening about as quickly as would occur in a city.

What if the emergency is much more serious, much bigger, an airliner crash for instance?

Alpine County has an emergency preparedness plan for such things, too. An emergency field operations guide put together by the sheriff's department contains detailed information and procedures to follow in the event of those more serious situations, including evacuation plans. All the fire, EMT, and sheriff vehicles are equipped with copies. If the county needs more resources to help, it can draw on assistance from neighboring counties. Cooperation among the various fire, police, and search and rescue organizations is the norm in this region and helping out one another occurs routinely. The county can also get help and equipment from the California Office of Emergency Services, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The county has an emergency preparedness coordinator, Julie Ola, who was recently assigned to the job. She is also the emergency medical system coordinator. Lynn Doyle, the most experienced EMT in the county, was the coordinator for many years, but last June he stepped down to give someone else a chance to carry on the responsibility. Lynn still responds to 911 calls as a volunteer EMT.

Working closely with the sheriff's department, the EMTs, the fire departments, the county health department, and other entities, the coordinator arranges training, provides equipment, assures that the supplies of emergency food and pharmaceuticals are kept current, and keeps track of the capabilities of the various organizations that may be involved in emergency situations. She represents the county on disaster and anti-terrorist councils also.

Julie has set up a meeting with Red Cross representatives on Sept. 14, to be attended by emergency responders and suggests that others who wish to be part of that meeting call her at (530) 694-2235. If you want some advice about what to have on hand for emergencies, she'll be happy to provide that. For Alpine people, it should be comforting to know the county is organized and responds well to a wide range of emergencies including those personal emergencies, such as Fred getting hurt falling off a roof.