Public Service

NORTH BLANCO COUNTY EMS

PUBLIC SERVICE INFORMATION

SHERIFF'S OFFICE MASTER GATE/ACCESS CODE LIST: Our EMS Department does not maintain our own master list of access codes to property gates and access systems. We get your gate access information from the SO Dispatcher at the time of the 911 call or from their book. So, if you want EMS to be able to get through your gate in an emergency, call the Sheriff's Office at (830) 868-7104 and update your gate code information on their Master List.

EMS CERTIFICATION (SKILL) LEVELS: The Texas State Department of Health Services has multiple levels of certifications that qualify a trained person to perform certain pre-hospital emergency medical skills. Special training is required, along with clinical experience at hospitals and with EMS services, along with written exams and skills demonstration testing. Each higher level requires more training, experience, and testing. The most common certification/skill levels are as follows:

ECA: This is the entry level, lowest skill set. This level allows the EMS person to provide elementary functions, including driving the ambulance, communicating on the radio, getting equipment, providing oxygen to a patient, performing CPR, etc.

EMT-BASIC: This is the next higher level, and allows the medical technician to perform additional skills (above the ECA level), including administering some drugs (breathing treatments, anaphylaxis drugs, etc.).

EMT-INTERMEDIATE: This is the next higher level, and allows the medical technician to perform additional skills (above the EMT-BASIC level), including establishing IVs, intubating (inserting a mechanical airway device), and administering more drugs.

EMT-PARAMEDIC: This is the highest level, and allows the medical technician to perform even more skills (above the EMT-INTERMEDIATE level), including performing EKG analysis, and administering more drugs, including narcotics and cardiac drugs. A LICENSED PARAMEDIC meets the same training, clinical and testing requirements, but has a degree from a college or university.

WHICH CERTIFICATIONS WILL SHOW UP ON YOUR 911 EMS CALL? Our personnel at all of the above levels are generically referred to as "medics" or "certifieds", as opposed to others in our Department who may just be qualified ambulance drivers or administrative helpers. By state regulation, only one "certified" is required to respond to a 911 EMS call, but two are required for transport of a patient to a medical facility. These responding certifieds may be of any of these classifications including a mix. For example, you could have two Paramedics on a call or two ECA's or one of each, or any combination. The availability of these folks depends on prior scheduling and personal availability at the moment. Most of our medics are volunteers, and many respond from home or their regular job, and are not compensated for helping you. Their motivation normally is to give something back to the community and specially to help others in their critical time of need. Paid medical personnel, who we have only a few of, are scheduled for specific shift coverage. The responding crew may be a mix of paid and volunteer staff. Normally the highest certification is the Crew Chief in charge of the call, regardless of whether that person is paid or volunteer. Budgets, available funds and available qualified medical personnel limit how many upper level certifications are available for a given 911 EMS call. Ideally, we would have two Paramedics on every call, but we are not in a position to support this desireed level of emergency response care.

VIAL FOR LIFE PROGRAM: Click Vial for your critical medical information in a standard place.

911 CALLING TIPS: Click 911 Tips

PERSONAL MEDICAL PROFILE FORM: Click Form for a convenient way to convey your profile and Instructions for completing it.

ICE: In Case of Emergency: Click ICE for your cell phone address book.

SIRENS & LIGHTS, MOVE TO THE RIGHT: Click Move Right

HOUSE & PROPERTY NUMBERING: Click Numbers

Health & Safety Information on Household Products: Great background information on household "hazmat" precautions. Coming soon.

FIREWORKS: Everything you need to know and to not do, plus lots of links. Coming soon.

INFANT SAFETY SEAT INSPECTIONS: Coming soon.

TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN: Click Water

SPANISH FOR MEDICS: Click Spanish

AMBULANCE & EMS STATION TOURS: We are very proud of our EMS station! If you would like to schedule a tour of our station (as an individual or group), please give us a call at 830-868-7834. We are honored when we have visitors come by and we are glad to give tours! Giving us as much advance notice as possible helps to ensure that we will have adequate staff on site! We look forward to seeing you!

PRESENTATIONS: We offer many community outreach programs designed to promote fire safe behavior through a variety of educative mediums. Public safety education offerings include fire safety lectures, educative entertainment for children, EMS department history, and safety demonstrations. For further information on our free educational programs or to schedule an event, please contact the department at 970-868-7834. Our program provides EMS Department speakers trained in First Aid, CPR and safety education . Literature on burn prevention tips and burn first aid is also included. Speaking engagements are structured to accommodate all ages and learning abilities. Youngster demos may include a medic with medical gear and a tour of an ambulance.

WEATHER HERE IN JOHNSON CITY:

BACK TO TOP OF PAGE BACK TO HOME PAGE