Kirk C. Watkins, Jamestown. During the months of January and February, the Emergency Medical Response (EMR) team in Jamestown conducted EMR training sessions, in order to replenish the number of responders on call for the town of Jamestown. According to many of the current members, there has been a large number of EMR trained personnel that have left the area, are no longer active, or for other reasons are not able to fulfill their commitments to the team. 

To address the shortage, Colleen Williams, RN-EMR, Jamestown Volunteer Fire Department EMS Chief, secured funding for a comprehensive training session to be held at the Jamestown Volunteer Fire department starting January 8, 2020, and running through February 10, 2020. Williams, a former ICU nurse at Denver Health and Certified EMS Instructor, was a member of the original Lefthand Fire Department EMS formed in 1980’s and then formed the Jamestown Volunteer Fire Department EMS Team in 1990. In all, she has over 40 years of EMS responding in the community.

“The Jamestown community values health and safety, and residents stepped up to fill the much-needed gap on the Team due to vacancies,” she said when asked about the large number of trainees in the most recent class. “By doubling our Team size, we ensure that all calls will be handled by skilled local volunteers during a 911 medical emergency who can work together as a Team and continue the ongoing effort and service we have been providing in the community for 40 years!”

The instructor for the course was Angie Busby, the Natural Resources Manager and Volunteer Coordinator for CalWood, a children’s outdoor education camp outside of Jamestown, where she oversees everything involving medical and structural/wilderness fire protection for the property. She is also the certifications coordinator for the YMCA Of Northern Colorado, where she oversees and teaches ASHI, American Red Cross, and American Heart Association classes, both positions she has held since Autumn of 2007. 

She related that the EMR team in Jamestown is responsible for responding to numerous types of situations. “Typical calls could include car accidents (mostly weather related), bike accidents, common medical emergencies (cardiac, stroke, diabetics, respiratory issues, allergic reactions, altered mental status), common trauma emergencies (broken bones, bleeding wounds, slips and falls),” said Busby, when relating situations that may arise for the EMR team. 

“The community depends on a well-trained EMR team to assist them in their time of need. It’s not easy to ask for help when something goes wrong with you. Patients need people to help them feel comfortable, feel not embarrassed, and assist them in their greatest time of need,” she said. “You could be helping someone come into this world or leaving this world.” 

The terrain in Jamestown, and in many mountain towns, is a specific concern for the EMR team. Many people use the area for recreational activities, including mountain bikers, hunters, ATV riders, and people hiking with their dogs. Busby also included the additional variable that the town is served by one road. She pointed out that access made it especially tricky.

“Steep, curvy canyon road that bicycles and cars drive on in all weather—and they all stop in for food and drinks at the Merc in the middle of their ride,” she said. “Only two ways to get out of town—up or down! Nothing in between. Our access can be easily cut off from the rest of the world in floods, fires, mud slides, or other natural events.”

Jamestown knows very well the veracity of that statement, having been cut off from the Front Range in 2015 by the massive flooding that took place in the area. Having to deal with these and other natural occurrences, along with the inherent risks that come with the terrain, make it critical for a well-trained robust response team to be in place. 

One of the new EMR graduates, Julie Constantine, knows very well the critical nature of having a well-trained and well-staffed team, having lived in Jamestown during the flood, and having been a professional EMT in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

“I know the EMR system is voluntary, and I know they need good people on their team, and I know we’ve lost a lot of good people, from moving, or retiring and I wanted to participate and do my civic duty.”

Community members that make up the backbone of the EMR team are invaluable to the success of emergency response Busby explained, “I always love the willingness to commit both time and physically to volunteer at fire departments in either Fire, EMS, or both. It takes a special type of person to do this and it shows in their learning and commitment to the team.”

Busby also explained the reason why she enjoyed the class, saying, “I love seeing when the light bulb turns on and skills are easy for students to perform. It’s always a struggle at first to get the routine down but once the knowledge starts clicking, it all comes together. You can see this in students when it happens and it’s always a great feeling. I really enjoy how this crew works with each other, asks questions when they need to, and how involved they already are with the community.”

Constantine agreed with this analysis and added her own perspective saying, “I think Angie was a great teacher. She was very realistic, hands on, gave great scenarios.” 

Constantine also commented on the effectiveness of the training. “Having previous EMT experience I felt like it was a great refresher,” she said, “but thinking about all the new people in the class, I though wow! She’s doing a great service by teaching everyone who’s brand new to feel comfortable in these situations and to perform and do their duty.”

On Saturday, January 26, for one of the training days, the students had the opportunity to train with the Lefthand Fire department. Four members of the fire department representing Lefthand joined with the students in Jamestown and went over skills including loading and unloading the stretchers to safely place the victims onto the ambulance, ambulance protocols, bringing patients up and down stairs, field dressing and extraction, and other field medical procedures. These skills were taught by Chris Samuelson, a Firefighter EMT from Station 1, Claudia Kutscher, an RN Paramedic training specialist that is the BCFFA EMS committee co-chair, and who has served Lefthand for twenty-seven years. Also, in attendance was Paul Rozingek, an Engineer and Fire Investigator for thirty-four years, and David Lindquist, the training captain at Lefthand and a firefighter for ten years. 

The prospective EMR members had reviews and practical applications which tested their new skills. They had to prove competency in subjects as varied as medical and trauma reactions, CPR, scene assessment, bleeding and wound treatment, chest and abdominal injuries, and cardiac emergencies. They learned how to respond properly to calls from dispatch, and how to document the calls they responded to.

 At the end of the course each graduate was awarded a pager or a radio and pledged a two-year commitment to be on call for any emergencies that may arise in Jamestown and the surrounding areas. It is a responsibility that each team member takes voluntarily and promises to serve with dedication. EMR chief Colleen Williams agreed saying, “The new members are adding enthusiasm, skill, and commitment to continue the important volunteer service to the Town of Jamestown.”

(Originally published in the March 5, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)