Hood River Fire & EMS adds capacity for emergency response
Hood River Fire & EMS recently welcomed the newest addition to its firefighting team, Karl Smiley, thanks to grant funding from the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM). The grant provides financial support in the amount of $384,025 to cover the salary of an additional firefighter over the course of three years – 90% of the salary the first year, 75% the second, and 50% the third year. The City will be responsible for paying the full salary for the fourth year and beyond.
This new position varies slightly from the other firefighting positions in the department. The City’s firefighters work on one of three rotating shift schedules of 48 hours on-duty, 96 hours off (or 2 complete days on, 4 days off). Instead, this position has a 40 hour/week daytime schedule. Since the department receives 82% of calls-for-service requests between 7:30 am-7:30 pm, adding a daytime firefighter strategically gives the department additional support during the busiest times with only one additional staff person.
Hood River Fire & EMS has had the same number of firefighters since 2003, despite City population increases in the past twenty years, and increases in call volume and inter-facility transfers. From 2013-2021, the City’s population increased by 16%, call volume increased 41.1%, and inter-facility transfers (transporting patients to higher-level care in Portland) increased by 75%.
The grant is awarded through OSFM’s Oregon Fire Service Capacity Grant, a program designed to provide funding for small and medium-sized Oregon fire agencies and encourage an increase in permanent local firefighter staff. In total, 33 different fire agencies out of a candidate pool of 102 applicants were awarded grants. These funds will staff an additional 53 firefighters throughout 27 counties across Oregon.
“This grant will help us to keep our community safe with an additional firefighter during our busiest times. We are grateful to the Oregon State Fire Marshal for providing this necessary support to local firefighting agencies like ours,” said Fire Chief Leonard Damian. “This additional staff member will allow us to respond more quickly to emergency service requests.”
LUCAS Device Acquired
Hood River Fire & EMS has acquired a LUCAS device – an automatic mechanical chest compression system. The LUCAS device has been shown to give positive outcomes for both the patient and caregiver and is the standard of care in many metropolitan areas, including Portland.
Cardiovascular emergencies are one of the most common out-of-hospital calls that the fire department receives. The device allows for continuous and high-quality CPR to be given to the patient for prolonged periods of time, throughout transportation, and in situations where providing CPR may be physically awkward or challenging. Additionally, it does not fatigue, circulates cardiac medication quicker, and reduces risk of injury to caregivers who can remain seated and restrained during transportation.
Overall, LUCAS devices increase chances of survival from sudden onset cardiac arrest – and and should help Hood River Fire & EMS firefighters save the lives of their patients. Fire & EMS has already received its new LUCAS device. It will be ready to use in the field once it is assembled and serviced, and crew members are fully trained in its use.
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