City of Glen Cove Emergency Medical Services
The Ambulance and Crew Arrives
Most of the members of Glen Cove EMS have both pagers and radios that they carry with them to communicate with police headquarters and each other. When their pagers go off (referred to as "toning out"), they are told by the dispatcher where the call is and what the nature of the emergency is (e.g. difficulty breathing, chest pain, general illness, seizure, laceration). Within minutes after you've called, the ambulance will respond with medical technicians on board. Additional personnel might also arrive in their own cars identified by their flashing green lights, which hopefully have cleared their way.
In the Ambulance
The outside compartments of the ambulance store splints, backboards, stair chairs, flexible litters known as Reeves carriers, collars for neck injuries, pediatric car carriers, and additional portable oxygen. But the inside of the fluorescent-lit ambulance is a mobile emergency room. Dressing and bandages, intubation kits and airways, IV supplies including catheters and fluids, medications that can be used in cardiac and respiratory emergencies, on-board and portable EKG machines, defibrillation units, and radio communications that enable the crew to speak to MedComm - medical control for Nassau County located in Nassau County Medical Center. The EKG can also be transmitted to MedComm so the emergency physician at the hospital can get a clear cardiac picture of what is going with the patient. Once on the ambulance, the technicians might continue their physical assessments, as well as completing a medical history. Based upon the nature of the injury or illness, a decision will be made as to which hospital to go to --our local emergency room at Glen Cove, the special trauma unit at North Shore Hospital in Manhasset, or the burn unit at Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow. The crew is permitted to carry one additional family member, in the front seat only. In a pediatric call, the crew might ask the parent, guardian, or other adult whom the child is comfortable with, to ride in the back with them. This will give the child some security in a strange environment with people they don't know. Enroute to the hospital, MedComm will be notified as to the age and status of the patient, as well as to which hospital they are being transported. In some cases, such as when an emergency room is overwhelmed, MedComm might route the ambulance to a different ER. Once in the hospital, care will be turned over to the hospital staff after a briefing by the EMS technicians. Glen Cove EMS is an important part of the emergency response network we have here in our city. When you do have a medical emergency, there should be no hesitation, embarrassment, or reluctance to ask for help, since a delay can have an impact on the outcome. We volunteer to do this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for one very important reason - so that you have someone to call when you need them. Stay healthy out there!
Special thanks to Jeff Kopito (Exempt Member of GCEMS) for writing these articles.
