EMERGENCIES Fire department responds to new status

The department handled more than 180 First-Responder calls since early this year.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- It's almost like it used to be, Charles Semple says.
Since the fire department received First Responder status earlier this year, the firefighters are once again answering many of the medical calls they handled in years past, said Semple, the city's fire chief.
"When 911 came in, people would call them, they would switch the calls to the police dispatch and then an ambulance service would be called," he said.
Now, in addition to an ambulance, he said, firefighters are trained to assist with medical problems and injuries, as well. Most of the time, he noted, firefighters will even show up before an ambulance.
"In all fairness to [ambulance companies], they could be out on a call in Warren or someplace else," he said. The city's firefighters, he noted, are always in the city limits.
Since receiving First Responder status earlier this year, Niles firefighters have handled more than 180 such calls, Semple said.
"It could be we get five calls a day, or one call a day or 10 calls a day," Semple said. "The point is we are there."
First to respond
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the term First Responder refers to the first people to respond to an emergency scene. Many of the calls are for medical emergencies -- people suffering from shortness of breath or chest pains, or those who have been injured somehow.
First Responders use a limited amount of equipment to perform initial assessment in each situation and are trained to assist other emergency personnel, according to the NHTSA.
The NHTSA requires any agency seeking First Responder status to undergo intense training, and update that training at least once every three months.
"It's a constant thing," Semple said. "We are always training to get better."
Training includes how to perform CPR, how to administer oxygen and other subjects, Semple said. Firefighters can often attend training seminars with other departments, or they can be conducted at the fire station, he said.
All 30 employees of the department have taken the training courses, Semple said, and all continue to upgrade their skills and services with ongoing education.
"We're still learning and working out some small bugs, but we're getting better all the time," he said.
slshaulis@vindy.com