Department News
August 10, 2009 - GCEMS Takes First!: It's been a great month for GCEMS. During this years Lewis and Clark Days parade GCEMS employees placed 1st in the commercial category! Congratulations and thank you to Paramedic Rhonda Grainger and First Responder Raylee Thompson for all of their hard work putting together the float!
August 10, 2009 - Paramedic and Husband Tie for Third: More congratulations are in order for another paramedic from GCEMS. Paramedic Amie Allison and husband Dave Allison both entered the Chili Cook-off at Cut Bank's Lewis and Clark Day Celebration on July 24th. With some friendly competition the two set up booths next to each other and competed for top prizes. Surprisingly to both they tied for third! Way to go you two!!!
August 10, 2009 - Medics Successfully Complete Critical Care: Congratulations to Paramedics Maunay Kelley and Angela Eppinger for successfully completing CCEMT-P training in Baltimore, Maryland. Both paramedics raved about the quality of education that was received and the intensity of the class. Since their return to Cut Bank their endorsement licenses have been approved and both are now working Critical Care Paramedics. Congratulations Maunay and Angie!
June 29, 2009 - Two Full Time Paramedics to Attend CCEMT-P: Paramedics Angela Eppinger and Maunay Kelley will be attending the nationally recognized University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Critical Care Paramedic training program from July 12-25 in Baltimore, Maryland. After completing the intense 86 hour course they will be trained and licensed to transport patient's on ventilators and any patient's with advanced procedures not commonly seen in the pre-hospital setting. Due to the remoteness of our location it is not uncommon to be requested to transfer critical patients from the outlying hospitals to definitive care at higher level hospitals. Currently three out of five of our full time paramedics are trained at the critical care level. GCEMS offers to send all full time employees to critical care training after one year of service.
June 29, 2009 - Commissioners Approve Seasonal Full Time: During the July 23rd commissioners meeting in Babb, the lack of EMS providers in the Babb/St. Mary area was discussed. In the past if our Babb station has been unable to respond on an emergency the Blackfeet EMS from Browning has had to respond, considerably extending the time until somebody gets help. The concern is greatest during the summer months when tourists flock to Glacier Park. Due to the increased need for EMS personnel the commissioners approved 2 seasonal full time EMT/Basic positions to be staffed by experienced EMT's.
June 29, 2009 - A Familiar Face Returns: Paramedic Amie Allison has returned to Cut Bank and to GCEMS! Amie started with GCEMS as a First Responder in 1998 and worked her way to EMT/Basic before leaving to continue her EMS career in 2001. She went on to get her Paramedic and worked for Great Falls Emergency Services for 5 years before moving south. Amie recently moved back into Cut Bank with her husband, Dave, who is currently an EMT/B student, and their three children Keenan, Kylan, and Kasan. Welcome back Amie! We are glad you came home!
June 29, 2009 - GCEMS Gets New Medical Director: GCEMS would like to welcome Adron Medley, MD and Karyn Thornton, PA-C/NREMT-P to the staff. The pair have agreed to take on Medical Direction for GCEMS with a team approach. Karyn has a background as a PA, Paramedic, and former EMS administrator and Doctor Medley is a local surgeon. We would like to welcome both to the staff and are excited to see where the future will take us!
June 29, 2009 - Full Time Position Closing July 15th: The full time position for Paramedic will be closing on July 15th. Any interested applicants should be sure to turn in their applications and resumes to the Cut Bank Job Service before that time.
June 29, 2009 - GCEMS to Staff QRU in East Glacier: Due to the recent increase in GCEMS EMT's that live in East Glacier and the lack of local EMS resources in that area, GCEMS has decided to staff a Quick Response Unit that can respond to local emergencies. A 1991 Suburban has been equipped with emergency medical supplies, lightbars, graphics, and a stretcher. Glacier Park Inc. has partnered with GCEMS to provide a secure location to store the vehicle. An AED (Automated External Defibrillator) has also been placed in the community to provide definitive treatment to patients in cardiac arrest.
June 29, 2009 - GCEMS MD Resigns: GCEMS Medical Director Doctor Peter Barran has unfortunately resigned as Medical Director effective June 30th. Doctor Barran notified the service at the beginning of June that he would be leaving us to assume the position of Chief of Staff of Pondera Medical Center in Conrad. Doctor Barran has dedicated many wonderful years to Glacier County and will be sorely missed. We would like wish Doctor Barran the best of luck in his future endeavors and thank him for his faithful service to our community.
June 29, 2009 - Furniture Arrives for Babb Station: The beds and closets ordered for station two have been received and were set up just in time for the County Commissioners meeting in Babb on June 23rd. The furniture was chosen based on it's adaptability to the working environment and its quality to stand up to the many years of use that it will get. A microwave was also purchased and is now in use. The facility is now ready to house out of town employees overnight while they are covering the Babb/St. Mary area.
June 29, 2009 - Staff Receives New Call Signs: With the addition of the East Glacier QRU station the decision was made to once again change the staff's call signs. The Chief and Captain will be EMS 1 and 2. EMS 102-109 will be reserved for Paramedics, EMS 110 and above will be used for EMT-Basics and First Responders at station 1 in Cut Bank. EMS 202 and above will be used for station 2 staff in Babb and EMS 302 and above will be used for the East Glacier staff. The staff will remain the same number regardless of which station they may be currently working at, the numbers are assigned based on their home station.
May 7, 2009 - Captain and Chief Travel to West Yellowstone: Captain Brian Williams, the state PEPP Coordinator and Chief James Laidlaw were asked to travel to West Yellowstone, Montana to put on an ALS PEPP instructor course. They traveled down for the class April 25-26 were they certified 29 students in PEPP, of them 16 continued on to get their PEPP instructors. Captain Williams will be traveling throughout the state teaching PEPP courses, for information on upcoming classes check the Training Bulletin.
May 7, 2009 - Employees to Receive New ID Cards: Employees of GCEMS will be receiving new identification cards soon. The department has been searching for a more professional appearing ID card that would help to identify personnel at different events, including sports functions, community gatherings, and mass casualty incidents. Two prototypes have been received for review and we have decided to order them for the staff. The ID cards will include information such as the providers Name, Certification level, blood type, and IC courses so that in the event of a disaster our crews will be prepared. The picture above is an example of the new cards.
May 7, 2009 - GCEMS Welcomes New EMTs: GCEMS would like to welcome 4 new EMTs to the staff. All of the new EMTs came from the GCEMS EMT/Basic class that finished in February. They each worked hard to pass their National Registry exams and have joined the ranks of GCEMS. Our 4 new Basics have been hard at work orientating and precepting on the rigs to prepare them for the field. We would like to welcome EMT/B Darwin Feakes, EMT/B Roberta Winn, EMT/B Sam Thornton, and EMT/B Ben Steele.
May 7, 2009 - New Schedule for Paramedics: GCEMS Paramedics have adopted a new schedule. The schedule will allow the paramedics to have a set days each week. It is set in a 48 on/24 off/24 on/72 off format that gives the medics a 72 hour break each week. The medics will rotate days every 13 weeks to change things up a bit. All paramedics voted between two schedules that were designed by a couple of the employees. Thank you to everyone for their hard work getting it rolling.
February 25, 2009 - GCEMS Adds Additional Medications to Our Bags: GCEMS Medical Director Peter Barran, MD recently approved the addition of 4 new drugs to our protocols. All paramedics have been trained on the new medications and they have been added to our rigs. The new medications include Labetalol, Cardizem, Amiodarone, and Solu-Medrol.
Above: EMT/FRA Floyd Peterson receives his award from Lt. Governor John Bollinger at the Capitol in Helena, MT.
February 25, 2009 - EMT/FRA Floyd Peterson Awarded Star of Life: EMT/FRA Floyd Peterson was nominated by his peers for MEMSA's (Montana Emergency Medical Services Association) EMS Stars of Life program. Floyd was chosen as one of four people from across the state selected to receive the 1st annual award. Floyd's contribution to our community is irreplaceable, as an active member of GCEMS, Floyd also volunteers his time with Glacier County Search and Rescue. Congratulations Floyd, the award is well deserved.
February 25, 2009 - GCEMS Receives Grant from State Farm Insurance: State Farm Insurance has graciously awarded GCEMS with the State Farm Insurance Good Neighbor Citizenship Grant in the amount of $1162.34. So far, GCEMS has purchased a roof, light bar, and graphics for our all terrain vehicle, the Polaris Ranger. We are still $3000 short of what is needed to fit the Ranger with a med sled to haul patients out of rugged terrain, but thanks to State Farm now have a start. Thank you State Farm for your generous gift, it will go a long way in saving lives in our community.
February 25, 2009 - Cut Bank EMT Class Finishes Strong: The Cut Bank EMT Class has concluded their training and is now in the process of testing with the National Registry. The class finished with 5 students and all have worked very hard to reach this point. The staff of GCEMS would like to wish each student luck as they take on the NREMT!
February 22, 2009 - New EMT Class Began January 20 : Glacier County EMS has been asked to teach a EMT-Basic class for the Blackfeet Fire Cache. The class began on January 20 with 10 students and has been going strong. The 8 week course is designed to increase the level of medical training for wildland and rural firefighters as well as others. The class has been fast and furious and the students are working very hard.
February 22, 2009 - A2 and A3 Back From the Shop : After a few winter mishaps and some minor body damage, A2 and A3 have been taken to the body shop, repaired, and returned back to service. While neither ambulance had "injuries" bad enough to keep them off the roads, they did receive some minor damage. A little cosmetic surgery for each and they are good as new.
January 3, 2009 - Blizzard Closes Roads : Glacier County welcomed in the New Year on January 2 with over 6 inches of snow fall and blizzard conditions. Temperatures dipped to 17 below zero Fahrenheit and wind chills were a blistering -41 degrees. A city snow plow was put on stand by to plow the way for the ambulance in the even that a 911 call rang out. US HW 2 leading West and East out of town were closed and in town roads were emergency travel only. Fortunately our crews were able to stay inside and warm for the duration of the storm. Above pictures: L: GCEMS employees Tamera Kelley and Maunay Kelley help Angela Eppinger get unstuck during the blizzard. R: Tamera Kelley stands outside of station 1 on Jan 3 showing how deep the snow from the storm was.