May 2008
Letter to the Editor re Capt. Maxx Jone
30/05/08 16:00 Filed in: Letters to the
Editor
I want to thank the Fire Commissioners, the Fire
Department membership and the Orcas Island Community
for giving me the opportunity to attend an
accelerated program to gain my EMT certification. I
was very fortunate to get the second chance at
becoming an EMT after I was unable to attend the
course offered earlier this year with our own
department.
I also want to commend our training department and our Medical Director, Dr. Sullivan for the high quality of care we are required to provide. As part of my certification, I was required to ride along on a Basic Life Support Medical Unit for a 12-hour shift near Oakland California. I was surprised to find they do not carry AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators) nor use monitoring tools like a glucose meter to check blood sugars or a Pulse Oxygen Meter which is clipped gently to a finger and reads the amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood stream. No patient was given oxygen and I was allowed to put a blanket on one patient. The three standard questions “what is your name, where are you going and can I see your insurance card?”
I feel truly grateful to be in a medical system that consistently provides the “above the standard” care. We each carry an AED as part of our standard personal gear. We are expected to use every tool provided such as checking blood sugar levels, blood oxygen saturation and even basic heart rhythms when ever possible. And we have the luxury of going above and beyond as part of our standard operating procedures. When we respond to someone’s “worst day ever”, it is a great feeling to show we care.
Captain Maxx Jones
Orcas Island Fire Dept
Capt. Maxx Jones Orcas Island Fire Department
Letter to Ed 6-08
I also want to commend our training department and our Medical Director, Dr. Sullivan for the high quality of care we are required to provide. As part of my certification, I was required to ride along on a Basic Life Support Medical Unit for a 12-hour shift near Oakland California. I was surprised to find they do not carry AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators) nor use monitoring tools like a glucose meter to check blood sugars or a Pulse Oxygen Meter which is clipped gently to a finger and reads the amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood stream. No patient was given oxygen and I was allowed to put a blanket on one patient. The three standard questions “what is your name, where are you going and can I see your insurance card?”
I feel truly grateful to be in a medical system that consistently provides the “above the standard” care. We each carry an AED as part of our standard personal gear. We are expected to use every tool provided such as checking blood sugar levels, blood oxygen saturation and even basic heart rhythms when ever possible. And we have the luxury of going above and beyond as part of our standard operating procedures. When we respond to someone’s “worst day ever”, it is a great feeling to show we care.
Captain Maxx Jones
Orcas Island Fire Dept
Capt. Maxx Jones Orcas Island Fire Department
Letter to Ed 6-08