F-M AMBULANCE SERVICE VITAL SIGNS Fall 2017 Compassion, Excellence, and Community Service Sanford Medical Center Fargo Tuesday, July 25, 2017 was a momentous day for both Sanford Health, and F-M Ambulance. On that day, F-M Ambulance helped move over 60 patients from the Sanford Broadway campus to the new Sanford Medical Center in southwest Fargo. Thousands of hours of planning went into the move to help make it successful. We are thankful for the teamwork and collaboration that happened that day. Our team worked hard to make sure that the patients had a smooth and safe transition. Smiles and excitement were abundant everywhere the day of the move. The opening of the new medical center will bring some new challenges to our team, including approximately 2500 3000 more Sanford campus-to-campus transfers per year. As Sanford expands its reach, F-M Ambulance will continue to provide top-notch service to those that we transport. Sanford Fargo locations: Sanford Medical Center Fargo 5225 23 rd Avenue South Sanford Broadway 801 Broadway Sanford South University 1720 South University Drive
American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline F-M Ambulance recently received the American Heart Association s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Award. This award recognizes F-M Ambulance for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks. Every year, more than 250,000 people experience a STEMI, or ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction, a type of heart attack caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clotbusting medication. F-M Ambulance is dedicated to making our service among the best in the country, and the American Heart Association s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that by implementing processes for improving systems of care with the goal of improving the quality of care for all acute coronary syndrome patients, said Kathy Lonski, F-M Ambulance s Quality Improvement Advisor. We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in emergency medical care for all cardiac patients. ESGR Boss Lift Day Don Martin, FMA Operations Manager, was nominated by several employees to participate in the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Boss Lift Day. The purpose of the Boss Lift program is to show employers what the military does, and by doing so, make them stronger advocates for ESGR. It allows the bosses to see first-hand some things that Guard members do. Employer support is vital for the Guard and Reserve it allows these employees to defend and protect us at home and abroad and not have to worry about employment when they return. Martin got to ride from Fargo to Camp Grafton in a Blackhawk helicopter, tour the facilities and learn more about what Guard members experience during training and deployments.
On the evening of July 11, six ambulances and many other emergency response vehicles were dispatched to Hillsboro as a precautionary measure to help with potential injuries from a tornado that touched down in the area. Although there was damage from the storm, no injuries were reported. Mutual aid, or helping a nearby ambulance service, is common throughout the EMS community. Because Hillsboro is within the Sanford system, F-M Ambulance was sent as a precaution to assist if anything was needed. F-M Ambulance has mutual aid agreements with many other ambulance services in our area. Hillsboro Tornado Response Want to Learn More About F-M Ambulance? F-M Ambulance Service is excited to offer two opportunities this fall for community members to learn about emergency medical services. F-M Ambulance Service Citizens Academy The F-M Ambulance Service Citizens Academy is a hands-on opportunity for community members to learn more about F-M Ambulance Service. During the academy, you will learn about F-M Ambulance Service and emergency medical services, along with learning skills that can be used in actual emergencies. Topics covered include CPR, ambulance equipment, disaster preparedness, basic and advanced airway techniques, introduction to cardiology, medical emergencies, pharmacology, and traumatic emergencies. The Citizens Academy is designed for community members who are over the age of 18. F-M Ambulance Service Explorers The F-M Ambulance Service Explorers are a group of high school students who are interested in learning more about the field of emergency medicine. Participants will spend three hours each month in a career shadow program, which focuses on hands-on learning and experiences through participation with professional and successful Paramedics and EMTs. Some Explorers are able to participate in ride-alongs during the program. There is a small fee for the program, which covers the required uniform shirt and other costs. The F-M Ambulance Explorers is associated with the Boy Scouts of America Explorers program. For more information about the Citizens Academy or the Explorers program, please call 701-364-1745.
The Clinical Corner The North Dakota Resuscitation Academy Conference If you ve read the last few newsletters, you may have heard of the Heart Smart initiative F-M Ambulance is collaborating with key partners in our community to help our residents have the best possible chance of survival after a sudden cardiac arrest. But what exactly are we doing to make this happen? In June, Kathy Lonski and Jason Eblen traveled to Bismarck to take part in the 2017 ND Resuscitation Academy Conference. This two-day conference offered information on the science behind resuscitation, the pros and cons of mechanical CPR, post-resuscitative care, CPR in rural communities, data collection, pit crew CPR and other topics relating to high performance CPR. Forty people from around the state participated in the event. Presenters at the ND Academy Conference included Dr. Peter Kudenchuk from Seattle, Washington and Dr. Mike Levy from Anchorage, Alaska. Lonski spoke about working as a team during resuscitation, also known as Pit Crew CPR. The academy stressed that it s the basic things that can save a life calling 9-1-1 right away, CPR directions via telephone, rapid dispatch, community CPR, high-performing EMS teams and early defibrillation. The ND state health department and the ND EMS Association hope to team up to offer another academy to more emergency responders throughout the state in the future. It s A Record! If you thought you heard more sirens than usual on Monday, August 7, you were right! F-M Ambulance had a record-breaking day - our EMTs and paramedics completed 122 calls for service in a 24-hour period, which beat the old record of 107. Thank you to the team members who worked that day and to all of our team members for the great job they do every day! Welcome to the Team! Tammie Bakko Dispatcher FMA Taylor Clark EMT HAS Julie Clennon Paramedic TRF William Franklund EMT FMA Kyle Gorze EMT FMA Jordan Lucy EMT FMA Cody Miller EMT FMA Colvin Taylor EMT FMA Are you an EMT or paramedic who is interested in working for F-M Ambulance, Hillsboro Ambulance or Thief River Falls Area Ambulance? We would love to talk to you! Check out sanfordhealth.jobs to see what positions we have available!
2017 F-M Ambulance Awards Congratulations to all of the 2017 F-M Ambulance award recipients! The Star of the Year award is given to a provider who consistently gives excellent patient care and customer service. The 2017 award recipient is Chris Schwartz The Employee of the Year is someone who demonstrates the importance of being a great team member every day. The 2017 award recipient is Scott Helmer The Preceptor of the Year has shown commitment to providing a positive learning experience for all students. The 2017 award recipient is Jay Huseby The Safe Driver of the Year is awarded to a team member who consistently places the safety of their partners and the community as a high priority. The 2017 award recipient is Justin Rosenfeldt The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Medal is awarded to a member of the Honor Guard who exemplifies patriotism and is an all-around excellent steward of honor guard activities. The 2017 award recipient is Austin Yancy The VFW EMS Gold Award recipient must display clinical excellence and have a strong commitment to mass casualty, disaster response and/or SWAT/Tactical EMS. The 2017 award recipient is Tyler Tougas (recipient of both local and state awards) The Medal of Meritorious Service recipients have gone above and beyond their job duties without expectation of reward. The 2017 award recipients are Tyler Tougas and Adam Braaten The Rising Star Medal is awarded to a new team member who has shown promise in their first months or years with the company. The 2017 award recipient is Jim Seefeldt Lunch with our Vets On Tuesday, August 8, paramedic Lana Barone and EMT Cody Miller served lunch at the Fargo VA Medical Center Community Living Center. Lana and Cody were able to chat with some of our nation s heroes while serving them lunch. The VA s Community Living Center is a long-term care unit which maintains an average length of stay of 30 days. Most patients require extended rehabilitation and care following surgery and/or lengthy hospitalizations before returning to independent living. This was a great opportunity to show our Veterans how much we appreciate what they do for us thank you to Lana and Cody for proudly representing F-M Ambulance!
Do You Know How To Save a Life? Do you know CPR, how to use an AED, or the Heimlich maneuver? Seven people were recently recognized at a Redhawks baseball game for saving a life by doing those things. Six people are alive today because of the quick actions of these seven people. If you don't know CPR, now is the time to learn you never know when you may save a life! Lisa Dahl called 9-1-1 and with the help of dispatchers, performed CPR on her husband, Brent, which helped save his life. Tim Binfet and Jason Mehlisch, both offduty Fargo firefighters, performed CPR and used a public AED to help save Bruce Thom s life. Zeke Konjic stepped in and successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver on a man who was choking. Leslie Aune performed CPR on Louan Fee, which helped save her life. The ladies didn t know each other before the lifechanging event. Michael Henry performed CPR on William Berquam. Berquam s daughter helped present the award to Mr. Henry. Ryan McMaster saved a life when he successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver on a man who was choking.
The Sanford Health EMS Education (SHEMSE) team has been busy! Check out all of the exciting things happening at SHEMSE! In August, Robert, Ron and Trista attended the National Association of EMS Educators Symposium in Washington, D.C. They attended many great sessions with lessons that they will share with EMS educators across all of Sanford. Ron also defended a research poster at the conference. SHEMSE is pleased and honored to once again sponsor and host a paramedic student from the National Ambulance Service in Ghana, Africa. Christiana is excited to spend the next year at F-M Ambulance and take back our paramedicine techniques to her colleagues in Ghana. Fall semester started with a bang. We have a group of 51 students from across the region attending our EMT class as well as 27 new paramedic students. Good luck to all of them as they start their EMS careers! The 2018 recertification session opens on August 28 with the first recert classes. If you recertify in 2018, please make sure that you have looked at the sessions that are available. Sessions are available faceto-face or online. Make sure you register on our website or call 701-364-1753 for more information. We hope that you have enjoyed this edition of Vital Signs, a quarterly newsletter distributed by F-M Ambulance. An electronic edition of Vital Signs can be found on our website, www.fmambulance.com. If you have any ideas, questions, or comments about Vital Signs, please contact Kristi at 701-364-1759, or kristi.engelstad@fmambulance.com.