Platte Valley Ambulance crews patrolled the streets of Brighton on Halloween, handing out treats and luminescent wrist bands.

Medics also joined Brighton firefighters at the District’s second annual “Truck or Treat” festivities at the main fire station on South Main Street.  Kids toured Ambulance Number Nine, disguised as a haunted dungeon, and talked to PETE the Platte Valley Ambulance, who came as a witch.

AR-R! EMT Rick Flos and his family decorated this ambulance as a haunted dungeon. (Photo by Seth Miller)

Not so wicked: as always, kids seem to find PETE absolutely fascinating. (PETE is an acronym that stands for Prevention of Emergencies Through Education.)

Platte Valley Ambulance crews gathered at the Egbert Street station last week to celebrate mild-mannered EMT veteran, with 20 years’ experience, Mark Smith’s advancement to paramedic status.  Mark has been juggling his work schedule, the needs of his family, paramedic student poverty, and the rigorous medic curriculum at Denver Health for what he calls “a really long year, one that will not soon be forgotten.” 

For the next few months, Mark will partner with veteran Medic Lt. “Ples” until he’s ready to receive a normal field paramedic schedule. 

Congratulations Mark!

Eight Platte Valley team members joined EMS professionals from 18 states last week at the National EMS Memorial in Colorado Springs to honor 43 colleagues who died in the line of duty during 2010.

Medics Jenny Wheeler, Travis Graves, and Justin Trelease joined cyclists from around the nation in completing the final 80-mile-leg of the “Muddy Angels” national bike ride, which ended at the Memorial on June 25. 

Anthony’s family members pose with PVAS #4.

EMT Mindy Brunick drove Ambulance #4 in the annual procession that guided cyclists to the welcoming ceremony. Ambulance #4 was named “Nugget” for medic Anthony Archuleta, who died in 2010.  Platte Valley Ambulance Service cyclists presented Anthony’s dog tags and those of his partner, John Sutter, to their families.  Anthony’s family got to see #4 “Nugget” for the first time.

PVAS crews posing at the memorial include Brian Gourdin, Mindy Brunick, Chief Carl Craigle, Travis Graves and Allen Stevens.

Over 150 providers from coast to coast attended the memorial ceremony, featuring EMS color guards from as far away as Boston, New York, Delaware and Pittsburgh, and Williamsburg, Virginia.

In other PVAS News…

On June 30, Paramedic Scott and Alexis Gordon welcomed their third child, Harrison.

Paramedic Roger Saxton previews one of the new computers in ambulance #9.

Platte Valley Ambulances are now equipped with mobile data terminals – rugged computers capable of internet access and linked to the same mapping system as Brighton’s fire and police vehicles.  The mounting hardware and electrical systems were installed during the past year in anticipation of the computers and the permissions necessary to use them.

The tough little laptops are connected via AT&T cellular links to a server in the Adams County communications center, where dispatchers are located.  Those links not only make it easier for crews to route themselves to calls, but ease their medical charting process and improve the accuracy of data collection.

PVAS crews involved in last year’s “saves” pose for a photo. They are (from left): Capt. Ed Bevers (two saves), Capt. Dave Christenson, Steve Calfee (two), Nadine Birkholz (three), Capt. Justin Trelease, and Cindy Brown (two). Mindy Brunick is not pictured.

 Thanks to early 911 access, early citizen CPR, top-notch first-responders, automated defibrillators in every police and fire vehicle, and great medics, Brighton’s 2010 cardiac arrest “save” numbers were about as good as the Nation’s best.

Four Greater Brighton area residents, between 54 and 71 years old, are alive and well today with no neurologic deficits, despite suffering cardiac arrests last year.  That’s according to Platte Valley Ambulance Service’s (PVAS) 2010 Cardiac Arrest Outcome Study, which was completed this week.  It reflects that PVAS crews were dispatched 52 times during 2010 for people whose hearts had stopped (out of 5119 total calls).  Of those 52, 30 were declared dead on scene. Crews attempted to revive the remaining 22.

There are many definitions of “field saves” and many paramedic systems choose the easiest: return of spontaneous pulses (very few of those patients ever leave the hospital).  PVAS adheres to the most rigorous (and realistic) standard, namely that people wake up, hug their families, and go home and mow their lawns.

It seems lots of people want to join Platte Valley Ambulance. We posted openings for a full-time EMT and two part-time paramedics last month, and had to close them 11 days later after 87 people applied. We’ll be conducting an all-day selection process for the finalists on Wednesday, May 4, in the Bistro and Conference areas (look for those snappy dress uniforms).

The rest of May will be busy too, with a steady schedule of community drills, standby events, classes, and demonstrations.  We’re also planning a barbecue at Thom and Sue Hillson’s house on May 14th to kick off EMS Week, and to say farewell to paramedic Melissa Lunt. PVMC staff is welcome to join us if you’re in the neighborhood. The address is 2597 Skeel Street in Brighton.

It’s national re-accreditation time for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department, a process that happens every five years. In addition, half the team recently finished its National Registry renewals, and they also facilitated renewals for about half of Brighton’s firefighters and five of PVMC’s ED techs. Whew, way to go EMS!

In other EMS news…

Congratulations Melissa, we will miss you.

Paramedic Melissa Lunt will be leaving PVMC in June (O, Noooo!) to get married. Melissa and her fiancé, Tag Hopkins, will be moving to Sacramento where Tag will enter his MD residency.

Dr. Harrod is now the medical director for EMS.

We also have a new medical director. ED Physician Candace Harrod is gradually taking the reins from Dr. Williams. Dr. Harrod attended her first case review with us on March 9.