Austin/ County EMS Rescue

[Guest guest]

Hi Guys,

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on ATCEMS's rescue

division? I've seen pictures of the rescue truck that they have and

various other equipment and I was wondering if they did all vehicle

extrications, water rescues, ect. And if so, do they run into problems

with the Austin Fire Dept? I'm just curoius how they run rescue calls

and respect other agencies at the same time. Thanks for any input.

[Guest guest]

A/TCEMS's Special Operations program has 4 subparts

?? STAR Flight does medical flights and does helicopter-based rescue for water

and high angle rescues

?? Tactical (Medic 8) provides medical support to Austin PD's SWAT team

?? HazMat (Medic 10) provides HazMat/WMD medical support to Austin FD and

County's HazMat teams

?? Rescue (Med-Rescues 1, 16. 17, 26) is involved in water rescue and rope

(high-angle/low-angle) rescue.?? The Heavy Rescue unit is actually called the

Emergency Support Unit and carries additional equipment for technical searches

and additional rehab supplies.

In theory (and usually practice), A/TCEMS SpecOps and the various fire agencies

work well together. The division of labor is usually that fire will perform the

rescue and A/TCEMS SpecOps is there to provide patient care during the rescue.??

A/TCEMS SpecOps does not carry extrication tools (besides the halligan bar

carried by all A/TCEMS units).

Hope this helps.

-Wes Ogilvie

-Austin, TX

Austin/ County EMS Rescue

Hi Guys,

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on ATCEMS's rescue

division? I've seen pictures of the rescue truck that they have and

various other equipment and I was wondering if they did all vehicle

extrications, water rescues, ect. And if so, do they run into problems

with the Austin Fire Dept? I'm just curoius how they run rescue calls

and respect other agencies at the same time. Thanks for any input.

[Guest guest]

Additions to Wes' comments inline:

Subject: Re: Austin/ County EMS Rescue

A/TCEMS's Special Operations program has 4 subparts

?? STAR Flight does medical flights and does helicopter-based rescue for water

and high angle rescues

My only brain damage with this is that, in my opinion, there is not enough

training for those of us who have to work around/under STARFlight during these

infrequent occasions. This is NOT STARFlight's fault - I won't name any names,

but if it's not STARFlight's fault...well, you can do the math.

?? Tactical (Medic 8) provides medical support to Austin PD's SWAT team

Tactical Medics go through a rigorous selection process with ATCEMS before they

are offered to APD's SWAT team...who then puts them through ANOTHER rigorous

selection process, whereupon they begin training for tactical medic duties, and

THAT class is no walk in the park. When you meet an ATCEMS Tactical Medic, know

that that person has earned his/her stripes the hard way. These folks are the

" SEAL Medics " of ATCEMS.

?? HazMat (Medic 10) provides HazMat/WMD medical support to Austin FD and

County's HazMat teams

Medic 10 functions as part of the HazMat Operations section in direct support of

HazMat responders; in fact, I have taught HM Technician to many of these folks

in the CAPCOG HMT classes. No shortcuts - they get the same TCFP HMT curriculum

as the Firefighters and do all the field exercises and skill testing. Several

of the EMS folks who also carry TCFP certifications (not as part of their ATCEMS

duties) have taken and passed the TCFP HM Technician test. Additionally, they

operate as the on-scene toxicology consultants for contaminated patients.

?? Rescue (Med-Rescues 1, 16. 17, 26) is involved in water rescue and rope

(high-angle/low-angle) rescue.??

This is a valuable resource, as few fire agencies in Co. are ALS

agencies. Consequently, when a patient requiring ALS care is found on a cliff

or a remote area of Co., these folks are able to provide that care at the

patient's side, rather than wait for thepatient to be transported back to a road

somewhere, or worse, need a rescue-trained firefighter to dress and babysit them

to the patient's side and back. These folks bring their own equipment and are

trained and proficient in its use.

Frequently, the best action is to send non-ALS resources to find the patient,

then call for the ALS crews once the exact location has been identified. This

prevents having your few rescue-capable ALS resources on the wrong side of a

mountain, ravine, or river doing a search when the patient is found.

ATCEMS Special Operations has established high performance standards for their

members. If an applicant does not meet the performance standards, that

applicant is not accepted into Special Operations, even if it means that ATCEMS

has to continue to pay overtime to cover shifts. Additionally, acceptance into

Special Operations is NOT a life-time blessing; members are regularly evaluated

regarding their rescue capabilities in addition to the standard medical

knowledge, skills, and abilities of a non-SpecOps medic. Failure to meet the

performance standards will result in removal from ATCEMS Special Operations,

again, even if it means that overtime will be paid to cover shifts.

These folks, even the ones I've known for years, have my respect.

Phil

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