Emergency Medical Services
Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto, "Emergency!" TV show
All Santa Clara County firefighters are certified as EMT-1D (Emergency Medical Technicians/Defibrillator).
In addition, at least one firefighter on each responding engine company is state licenced and locally
accredited as a Paramedic.
The Department is a leader in emergency medical services. Members of Central (County Fire)
and the Campbell Fire Department participated in the first paramedic training in Northern
California in 1974. The Campbell Fire Department established the first Northern California
fire department paramedic program in 1974. EMT-1 level services were provided Department-wide
in 1981, EMT-D in 1990, and first-responder paramedics in December 1995. More details are available
on the Campbell historical page.
Source: Santa Clara County Fire Department 1998 Business Plan
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Why all the protective gear? I'm not contagious!
Because of the risk of infectious diseases, EMTs practice universal precautions, assuming
that every patient could be contagious. This means wearing latex gloves, eye protection,
and a mask if necessary. It's nothing personal; it protects both the care provider and the patient.
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Left: 1974 photo shows Campbell's first paramedic crew, with Rescue Squad 25, a Chevrolet Custom 30,
behind Sunnyoaks Station. Left to right, standing:
Gary Salmon, Al Lowder, Fred Van Hook, Fred Bailey. Kneeling: Mike Johnson, Rick Kinkaid, George
Renshaw, Ray Ravero.
Right: Rescue Squad 25 (vehicle 2026) and paramedics Fred Van Hook (standing) and Bill Buziuk (kneeling)
in front of Paramedic truck with apparatus on display in front of Sunnyoaks Station.
The Santa Clara County EMS Agency
contracts with AMR-W (American Medical
Response - West) for patient transport. AMR-W responds to, and assists with
most medical aid calls.
Engine 7 and two AMR paramedic units line up next to a medivac helicopter landing zone,
during a training drill, Sep 2002.
Truck 5 leaving Winchester Station code 3 on an EMS call in Sunnyoaks area, Engine 10 having just been
dispatched to another incident, an injury accident on highway 17.
How do you remove bloodstains?
An inexpensive and surprisingly effective way to remove bloodstains is to soak the
stain in household (3%) Hydrogen Peroxide, then launder normally. Hydrogen Peroxide is
sold as a disinfectant, and usually works even on dried blood.
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For EMS calls, county dispatchers are trained in Emergency Medical
Dispatch to give pre-arrival instructions to callers to better aid and
stabilize the patient prior to our arrival. Also, the dispatchers have
implemented Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) to better utilize the
Fire Department resources and the AMR ambulances. Through a series of
pre-designated questions, dispatchers are then able to "triage" calls into 5
categories: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo, which then designates the
calls either code-2 or code-3. This system is already in place nationwide
and being used very effectively. An Alpha would be of the least
life-threatening nature and would get a code-2 (no lights or siren) Fire
Department unit and a code-2 ambulance. An Echo response would be of the
most life-threatening nature (a person that is reported to be not breathing
and without a pulse) and would get the nearest code-3 (lights and siren) Fire
Department unit and code-3 ambulance.
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For information on sharps (used household needles and syringes) disposal, click here.
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