Latest news with #PridestarTrinityEMS
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Nice to help people out': CEO of EMS company empowers local EMT's to provide basic needs
EMTs and paramedics are trained to respond to medical emergencies. In nine communities along Rt. 495 in the Merrimac Valley, they're now empowered to help people with a much wider range of problems. David Daly, the CEO of Pridestar Trinity EMS, created a program called 'The Give.' 'We met people in really difficult circumstances and a lot of them didn't actually need medical treatment,' he said. 'They were in a challenging situation. We'd notice they didn't have a jacket, or they haven't eaten in a couple of days, or they needed a new pair of shoes.' As someone who started his career as an EMT, Daly knows his workers don't have a lot of extra money. 'So we started 'The Give' and it's a program that we give our staff the ability to go out and buy a meal for a person that needs it, who hasn't eaten, or a buy new pair of shoes. . . ultimately, it's at the discretion of the employees to choose what fits and they're allowed to do it without even being questioned.' Jaden Maldonado, a 4th grader from Dracut, was surprised when two EMT's presented him with a new bike. 'I was like, oh yea!' he said. EMT Kevin Gustafson said, 'We got called to an auto-pedestrian accident, car versus bike. So, we got to the scene, and it was obvious he had had a little accident. He was all bumped up, little bumps and bruises, nothing major. He was more shaken up and scared that it had happened and his bike was ruined.' Gustafson and his partner Billy Krikoris knew a bike was a big deal for a 4th grader and that Jaden's family would be hard pressed to replace his mangled set of wheels. So that's when they decided to use The Give and buy Jaden a new bike. 'Obvious, we primarily focus on the medical aspect first, but if we, while we're doing everything, notice hey, like they could use something like this, that's just something we keep it in the back of our minds. After they're out of the hospital and whatever, we can see if we can help them out with it,' explained Krikoris. This program comes at a time when the EMTs say they're seeing more people in need. 'The city is definitely busy,' said Sam Coutu as he cruised the streets of Lowell. For example, they buy a lot of tents for homeless people. 'Pillows, just stuff they need to be more comfortable in the elements.' Coutu also said they aid many senior citizens in the area. 'So, like an old woman, her house is really hot and she's lethargic and we notice it's hot in the house, we'll try to buy her an air conditioner. We notice someone's fridge isn't working, we can try to do something about that.' Krikoris added, 'It's nice to help people out, especially when they're already in a bad place.' Daly believes this program has a positive impact on his staff. He says they see many troubling situations in the course of their work, and this empowers them to step in and help – no questions asked. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
ALS program brings order, quicker response times
PLAISTOW — A regional Advance Life Support (ALS) paramedic intercept program launched by a local fire chief last month has brought better service and quicker response times to participating towns. The service was previously provided by Exeter Hospital, which disbanded the program March 20 and gifted the Plaistow Fire Department with two fully equipped medical vans and funding to continue operations. 'We've been able to provide a much faster response time which puts that paramedic in front of that patient so much faster and improves patient care and patient outcomes,' said Plaistow Fire Chief Chris Knutsen. 'Moving the resources closer to the call volume has been the biggest improvement.' Prior to taking over the intercept program, emergency medical calls were filtered through multiple dispatch centers, leading to confusion around availability and longer response times. Now, calls are sent directly to the Plaistow Fire Department's dispatch center. 'It was a significant safety concern and could create confusion if they're available for a call or not,' Knutsen said. 'Cleaning up the dispatch side has significantly improved the overall safety of our crew and overall efficiency of the program.' Most requests for service come from Rockingham dispatch, which automatically calls for aid when the incident requires care that standard EMTs can't provide. In the last month, the intercept program, which dispatches paramedics to traumatic incidents and respiratory and cardiac emergencies, responded to 278 calls, Knutsen said. The intercept vehicle stationed in Plaistow responded to 95 calls while the vehicle docked in Brentwood responded to 183. The majority of calls were medical-related and included unconscious persons with no pulse and significant shortness of breath or chest pain. Each day, the intercept program responds to an average of eight to nine calls, Knutsen said. Because Brentwood is staffed with two paramedics and fields the bulk of the calls, the crew was forced to split up more than 20 times this month when multiple calls came in. As the year goes on, the number of splits will help justify the department's request for an additional vehicle and staffing next year. 'We're not trying to take over anybody's town but if there is something we can do with this service to help them, we would most definitely entertain a conversation on picking up more towns, growth and the cost of adding more vehicles,' Knutsen said. Right now, Brentwood and Plaistow are each serving nine towns, with overlapping service in towns like Kingston and Newton. Knutsen didn't say where another vehicle could be stationed. As part of the town contracts with the Plaistow intercept program, EMT training opportunities will become available in the coming months at no cost to the other towns. These opportunities were not available to contracting towns with Exeter Hospital or Pridestar Trinity EMS. The trainings will include 240 hours of clinical education to participating fire departments on advanced medical life support, reporting software, prehospital life support and tactical emergency combat care. The first trainings are expected to roll out in the coming weeks and months. 'Towns haven't had anything bad to say, they are extremely happy with what they're seeing thus far,' Knutsen said.
