- Medic One
Medic One can refer to the
emergency medical service program (paramedic s/EMTs) inSeattle, Washington , USA; to the approach to emergency medical service developed beginning in 1968 by Seattle'sHarborview Medical Center ,University of Washington Medical Center , and theSeattle Fire Department ; or to various other emergency medical service programs that operate under the Medic One name. This article is about the King County programs and the approach that led to their founding.In 1968,
Michael Copass , M.D., aneurologist ,Leonard Cobb , M.D., acardiologist , and Seattle Fire ChiefGordon Vickery instituted a research program to determine the effectiveness of trainingfirefighter s as emergency-care medics and sending them in ambulances to the scenes of accidents, heart attacks,stroke s, and other such medical emergencies. By 1970, ten Seattle firefighters had received this training, and all Seattle firefighters had been trained inCPR . The first Medic One call was onMarch 7 of that year. A "60 Minutes " story on the success of Medic One that aired in 1974 called Seattle "the best place in the world to have a heart attack." Today, Seattle is said to have more people trained in CPR per capita than any other city in the world.Medic One service was extended throughout King County in 1976.As of 2006, King County Medic One incorporates Advanced Life Support (ALS) units. Basic Life Support (BLS) units, based at fire departments countywide, are staffed by
emergency medical technician s, while the county's five ALS providers have a number of units staffed byparamedic s. The five providers are Bellevue Fire Department (Bellevue, Mercer Island, Issaquah, North Bend, and points east), Redmond Fire Department (Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, Duvall and points northeast), King County Medic One (Burien, Renton, Kent, Federal Way, Auburn, Enumclaw, and points south and southeast), Seattle Fire Department Medic One (Seattle ), and Shoreline Fire Department (Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and Bothell). Operations are financed by levy.King County Medic One units are dispatched in a tiered order. Dispatchers receive 911 calls and, using established protocol, input data into a computer-aided dispatch system, which dispatches the nearest appropriate unit. It may be an engine company (BLS unit) only, or a BLS unit with an ALS unit. The BLS unit almost always arrives first and can stabilize the patient until the ALS unit arrives.
Most BLS and ALS units will transport the patient to the nearest
hospital ortrauma center . Often, depending on the initially responding units, where the patient wants to go, and the fire department that responds, a privateambulance company will be summoned.External links
* [http://www.metrokc.gov/health/medicone/ King County Medic One]
* [http://www.cityofseattle.net/fire/medics/medicOne.htm Seattle Medic One]
* [http://www.mediconefoundation.org/ Medic One Foundation]
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