TIERS WISH LIST

Dear Friends:

TIERS enjoys the loyal support of--and owes so much to--the people of the river communities. In just 5 years, we've accomplished things that it's taken other community-based ambulance services 15 or 20 years to do.

Part of our job is to think about the worst cases--blizzards and ice storms, crowded tour buses on I-81, SARS and Avian Flu patients, or of what could happen on the St. Lawrence River.

Below is our "wish list", items that would make us more prepared every day and vital in a major emergency: GPS to locate emergency routes faster, pagers would let us contact crucial personnel, training materials for our crews and the public, supplies to provide help to patients and area firefighters. Our new radios allow us to communicate directly with other agencies, but we need to extend our radio range so that we can take the lead in handling a crisis.

The people who've benefited from TIERS responses and people who know how important it is to be prepared can find a way to help us. Anyone can be the right person to make a connection with an employer, a charitable or family foundation or willful benefactor that might result in a tax-deductible donation to TIERS.

Please keep us in mind, and call me at 315-686-2058 with any questions or suggestions on how to help TIERS or to volunteer your time and talents to help your neighbors.

Sincerely,

Rolly

The Physio-Control LifePak 12 is one of the most reliable, durable, and state-of-the-art cardiac monitor/defibrillators you can buy. In the pre-hospital setting, Paramedics can use the LifePak 12 as a cardiac monitor, and as a defibrillator to "shock" a patient's heart to save their life. More important is the LifePak 12's ability to let paramedics "see" a heart attack as it happens so that medications and other actions may immediately lessen the severity of the attack.

The LifePak's 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) is an intricate picture of the heart's electrical activity from 12 different angles. The procedure only takes a minute and the paramedic can now exactly what's happening inside the heart and send this information to the hospital via cellular phone or radio so doctors can both give advice to the ambulance crew and prepare for the arrival of the patient.

The Stryker Power-Pro Stretcher uses a battery-powered hydraulic lift that would enable us to load patients into ambulances with a lower risk of back injury. A manual back-up system provides complete cot operation in the event of power loss, even though the battery is easily changed. The head section is retractable so the cot can be shortened in any position for use in tight spaces.

A repeater tower for the Town of Orleans would enable crews to communicate with each other and the county dispatchers via portable radios. There are multiple areas in the town that could be covered by just one tower. This would greatly increase our ability to communicate in the Town of Orleans and on the St. Lawrence River.

High Band Pagers are an item that we need desperately. They enable first- and second-call crews to hear emergency calls so they can respond when and where they are needed.

A mobile repeater is needed for TIERS new fly car to enable the use of portable radios to communicate with each other, other agencies and county 9-1-1 dispatchers.

GPS call location devices that mount of the dash of our vehicles would assist crews in getting to calls faster and taking the shortest route. They can also be integrated with dispatch information from the Jefferson County 911 center.

The Drive Cam is a device that tracks driver behavior during routine and emergency calls. In the event of a sudden stop, speeding, abrupt movement or accident, it video records activities in the cab, saves vehicle performance data and automatically notifies TIERS management. These are required by our insurance carrier.

We're lucky to have a number of accomplished Paramedics on the TIERS roster with more in training through Jefferson Community College's Paramedic Program, but these realistic trainers can help Basic, Intermediate and Critical Care EMT's learn new skills to save lives and help the public learn and review CPR techniques through our classes and on-site lessons.

The untimely passing of our Multiple Casualty Incident (MCI), and Firefighter Rehab Unit has stepped up plans to purchase an enclosed trailer large enough to fit our ATV and Rescue Trailer to transport them closer to an accident scene, search and rescue or other assignment. Now, this same trailer will also serve as a new Multiple Casualty Incident and Firefighter Rehab Unit. It will be towed to scenes by our fly car or a member's vehicle. There are many companies making specially-built MCI trailers, but we feel we can outfit our own combination trailer for much less.

Sager Traction Splints: The first traction splints were a revolution in caring for a broken femur, which is the

long bone that goes between the knee and the hip. The strength of the thigh muscles pulled the ends of the broken bone past each other, which resulted in bleeding, tissue damage and excrutiating pain. Traction splints pull the leg out straight, stopping the slicing action of the bones by putting them back in their original position.The Sager Traction Splint solves some design issues of the original traction splints, and are much easier to apply and much more comfortable for the patient. We have one presently and would like to have two more.

Backboards: "All Plastic" may not sound like a great product description, but for backboards "all plastic" means they're lighter and stronger, but also float for use in water rescues, have no slivers like a well-used wooden backboard may, and absolutely no metal parts means that emergency department doctors can leave the patient on the backboard while X-rays, a CT scan ("cat scan"), or even an MRI are being taken.

We are phasing out our old backboards as we can, but we also need to build an inventory of backboards for use during a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) when backboards would be required for spinal support, but could also serve as litters once the supply of cots and folding stretchers is quickly exhausted.

Each battery for our cardiac monitors (each one has two in at any time), go through hundreds of cycles of charging and discharging, and each time the battery gets a tiny bit weaker.

The hearty population of the 4th-largest of the Thousand Islands grows during the summer as people travel back and forth to cottages and Canoe Point State Park.

Presently, we respond to calls on the island via the Clayton Fire Department's fire boat with as much equipment as we can fit on board, but we need to establish a small base with a cache of equipment always available for our crews, or for other rescuers who can provide initial care until TIERS crews can arrive.

3. ATV and Rescue Trailer or other transportation (pickup truck, SUV or other vehicle capable of meeting Department of Health standards)

We are currently reconstructing our station on Union Street to better serve TIERS' needs. We are expanding our garage space by adding garage doors and a wall and upgrading our crew quarters for volunteer and paid staff who spend hours �on duty� at the station. This is going to include a new lounge area and larger bunk rooms. Although not a grand undertaking, and most of it is being done by TIERS perosnnel, the construction costs and related items are a needed expense to create the working and living environment that professionals deserve.