KING AIRWAYS READY FOR USE AT TIERS THANKS TO RIVER HOSPITAL'S GIFT

A grant to River Hospital from the New York State Department of Health to sponsor area providers in current trauma specialties is resulting in TIERS receiving  King Airways to be utilized by our ALS personnel beginning in mid-February.

The River Hospital gift totals about $1600.00 worth of equipment for TIERS; North County EMS has advocated a secondary airway to be placed on ambulances since 2007, but the cost of implementation has been issue for TIERS.

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Initially, only Paramedics will be able to use the King Airway to be followed soon by Critical Care (also called AEMT-CC or Level 3), personnel after required training is completed. TIERS Executive Director Rolly Churchill is hopeful that Intermediate, then Basic EMTs will be allowed to utilize the King Airway as well. "Larger agencies with advanced providers have many more options for airway management, but if basic EMTs are able to use something beyond an OPA, there are many lives that can be saved in places like the Adirondacks where advanced help may be impossible to get, especially in winter weather," he said.

The hospital also presented the Alexandria Bay Volunteer Rescue Squad with an Extremity Vacuum Splint Kit,  which is a new standard of care and highly effective in patient injury immobilization.

The Rural Hospital Flexibility Program grant also allowed River Hospital to host a second annual training day last September 29 at the Fort Drum Simulation Center. Attendees from TIERS and other area agencies used the opportunity to interact with each other and with military medics and practice a variety of skill training, hands-on practical applications and demonstrations of care under fire, tactical field care, and casualty evacuation in the simulation labs provided by Fort Drum’s MSTC trainers and staff.

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