Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District call loads decreased slightly in 2007, and additions in staffing levels and a new resident volunteer program have helped the department improve its handling of those calls in recent years.
The district responded to 1,917 medical calls and 290 fire calls in 2007, down from its record level of 2,001 medical calls and 302 fire calls in 2006. In 2005, the district responded to 1,936 medical calls and 253 fire calls.
The district broke the 1,900 mark for medicals in 2004 when it responded to 1,948 medical calls. The year before, the district responded to 1,689 calls.
This will be the fourth year at the same approximate level of calls, breaking a trend fire officials have had difficulty explaining over the years. Over at least the previous 15 years, the district has consistently jumped between 200 to 300 medical calls every three years. Fire call loads have not tended to change as much.
“I actually thought with the increase in population we’ve had, we might be up a few more this year,” Fire Chief Mike Beaver said. “We have sat and talked about call volumes for years, about what spurs them,” but it’s difficult to figure out what’s driving them.
The district added its ninth paid medic in April 2006 to help handle the most recent call volume expansion. Along with that, the district has six resident interns, and Beaver is available during his shift on weekdays.
Last year, the district added a resident volunteer program, Beaver said, and that’s made a difference. The program includes two, and a third position is open.
Even if a paid medic is off-duty, the fire department still has two fully staffed ambulances available, Beaver said. That’s giving the department some flexibility.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “A couple of people make a huge difference.”
The department had multiple simultaneous calls, the same as in years past, Beaver said, but the department has found it easier to get off-duty medics to come in and cover the calls.
As recently as a couple of years ago, Sweet Home and Lebanon fire departments constantly were relying on mutual aid, stationing ambulances on standby at Santiam Terrace and Highway 20. Beaver said he doesn’t know exactly what the numbers are now, but if mutual aid happens twice a month now, that’s a lot. “All I can do is credit the volunteers and paid staff for that.”
“It makes a huge difference just having people hanging around the station, like these RVs,” he said. “We started out years ago with resident volunteers. We had one on each shift.”
Medics relied on volunteer EMTs for partners 20 years ago, he said. When that program started before, it didn’t have to rely on shop owners rushing out of their business to go on a call every day.
That program turned into the resident intern program eventually, which doubled to six positions, Beaver said.
On top of adding that program in, the department also has some new volunteer EMTs available, Beaver said.
The department would like to fill a third resident volunteer shift, he said. There are no requirements. Training is provided by the department. Even while untrained, the volunteers may simply ride the ambulance and provide one extra set of hands.
The majority of the paid staff at the department started out in some kind of volunteer capacity, Beaver said. “It makes a difference when the staff (who grow up and live in the community) has a vested interest in the community.”