Ems

WILLIAMSPORT -- Williamsport Volunteer Fire and EMS Co. responded to 127 calls in March, including 43 fire-only calls and 84 EMS-only calls, according to Scott Bragunier, the company's public information officer. Of those calls, 51 were EMS calls in the Williamsport response area and 29 were fire calls in the area. The remaining calls were mutual-aid calls to assist other companies. The average response time for fire calls in March was 2 minutes and 59 seconds, while the average response time for EMS calls in March was 1 minute and 54 seconds.

The family, friends and colleagues of Washington County Emergency Medical Services Director Brigitte Heller, who died Thursday of injuries suffered in a traffic accident earlier this month, remembered her as a dedicated and passionate member of the rescue community. Kevin Lewis, director of the Washington County Division of Emergency Services, said EMS employees intend to remember Heller, among other things, by wearing a black mourning strip over their badges. Lewis said EMS personnel were told about Heller's death Thursday morning.

SMITHSBURG - Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services Inc. personnel responded to 81 calls for service in February, bringing the 2005 total to 177 responses. Of the 81 calls for February, 12 were to Frederick County, Md., and three were to Franklin County, Pa. Seventeen calls were in the Smithsburg town limits, 13 were in the Hagerstown area, three were in Cascade, four were in the Mount Aetna area and 11 were to the Leitersburg area. The most common call was for trouble breathing, which accounted for 16 calls.

SMITHSBURG - During July and August, Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to 203 calls, according to Capt. James Ulrich. The department has responded to a total of 752 calls so far this year, up from 622 calls at this time last year. Of the calls for July and August, 27 were to Frederick County, Md., and 11 were to Franklin County, Pa. Within the Smithsburg town limits there were 42 calls, while another 20 calls were in the Hagerstown area, 13 in the Cascade area and 12 in the Mount Aetna area.

SHARPSBURG - Sharpsburg fire and rescue officials are trying to decide whether the two agencies should merge to save money and consolidate personnel, officials said Monday. Sharpsburg Volunteer Fire Company Inc. officials have put plans for an addition to the fire hall on hold until the two groups decide whether to merge, said Assistant Chief Shawn McCoy. Lester Bussard, chief of Sharpsburg Area Emergency Medical Services Inc., said a merger isn't out of the question, but said he didn't want to comment further since the idea had just been broached.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - More than two years after the resignation of John Vanlandingham, the Chambersburg Borough Council voted unanimously Monday night to hire a 25-year veteran of the Scranton (Pa.) Fire Department as its new emergency services chief. Terrence Osborne was selected from more than 100 applicants for the position and will begin work April 7. A member of the Scranton department since 1983, Osborne was named deputy chief in 1996, Council President William McLaughlin said.

SMITHSBURG - Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services handled 100 calls during the month of August, according to Capt. James Ulrich. Of those calls, 10 were to Frederick County, Md., and 10 were to Franklin County, Pa. A total of 23 calls were in the Smithsburg town limits, 11 calls were in the Mount Aetna area, eight were in the Cascade area and 11 calls were in the Leitersburg area. The most common call was for medical emergencies and chest pain, which accounted for 23 calls.

Brigitte Heller, who served as director of Washington County Emergency Medical Services, on Tuesday was posthumously awarded a Maryland Emergency Medical Services Stars of Life Award. Heller, who died in June 2012 of injuries from a traffic accident, was awarded the Director's Award for Excellence in EMS by the the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, or MIEMSS, according to a news release. MIEMSS oversees and coordinates the statewide EMS system. The organization presented awards Tuesday in the President's Conference Room in the Miller Senate Office Building in Annapolis, according to an emailed news release from the MIEMSS.

A request to change the title and increase the pay of a currently vacant Washington County emergency services position to better align with the job's responsibilities, and to hire a new person to fill the vacancy, drew mixed reviews from county leaders last week. It also raised concern from officers of at least two county volunteer EMS companies, who said they were not consulted or even notified of the request made by county Division of Emergency Services Director Kevin Lewis. Smithsburg EMS Chief James Ulrich, who serves as acting chairman of the Washington County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association's EMS committee, said Friday that he and others from volunteer companies did not learn of the proposal until they saw a copy of the agenda a few days before last Tuesday's meeting of the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

A lot of misinformation surrounds fire company To the editor: The discussion that surrounds the situation over Fairplay Volunteer Fire Department needs to be more closely reviewed. I have seen too many incorrect letters to the editor, too many questionable acts by Washington County Commissioners, biased opinions published by this newspaper, biased selection of task force members and, most notably, the biased opinions of Kevin Lewis.   In my opinion, every action by The Herald-Mail, most county commissioners, the task force and a few of the overvocal members of some other fire departments have no other goal than the total destruction and elimination of the volunteer fire department in Fairplay.

The following incidents were reported Tuesday by Franklin County (Pa.) Emergency Services: • At 11:54 a.m., a kitchen fire was reported in the 8000 block of Roxbury Road. The primary agency was the Pleasant Hall Fire Department. • At 2:42 p.m., a house fire was reported in the 200 block of North Main Street in Chambersburg.

A long-delayed comprehensive fire protection plan for Washington County, with the aim of increasing efficiency of operations while accommodating future growth, is under way, according to Kevin Lewis, director of the county's Division of Emergency Services (DES). “We have to look into the future,” Lewis said Friday, noting the county's goal of ensuring that “the same programs that are being delivered in one area are being delivered across all areas.” “It's imperative that this is not just a DES initiative,” he said.

A fire that swept through the building housing the former Wolfe's on the Square in Williamsport on Monday had the potential to spread to any building along the town's historic square at the intersection of Potomac and Conococheague streets, Williamsport Volunteer Fire and EMS Chief William Ball said Tuesday. Ball said fire can spread easily in a building as old as the Civil War-era structure. “The fire could've spread to either side of the street,” he said. “Some of these buildings are interconnected, and when heat transfers it could go anywhere.” The three-story building, which had apartments and a liquor and convenience store, was built around 1800 and has operated as a hotel, a tavern and apartment complex.

Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services officials said they hope the addition of two state-of-the-art vehicles will help improve the service they provide to several communities that span 70 square-miles in two states. SEMS Chief James Ulrich said Monday that the organization recently bought two 2012 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 sport-utility vehicles for $65,000 each. He said the purchase of the vehicles was made possible with the help of a $13,000 donation from Pen Mar Development Corp. “They'll be good for the next 10 or 15 years,” Ulrich said.

Some New Jersey residents whose communities were devastated by Superstorm Sandy will soon receive a tractor-trailer load of needed emergency supplies through a relief effort being organized by a Berkeley County emergency medical technician. “I just came up with the idea,” said Mary Gump, an EMT with the Berkeley County Emergency Ambulance Authority. “It's our job to help our community and now it's time for our community to help some communities in New Jersey.” She calls her relief effort “Stuff-a-Truck.” Area residents are being asked to drop off a requested list of needed items at any fire or EMS station in the county before Dec. 7. Volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel will sort, label, load the truck and send it north to a distribution center in Atlantic City, N.J., on Dec. 8, Gump said.

The Fort Ritchie Community Center and Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services Inc. have entered into a partnership that will allow emergency medical personnel to have access to the community center's fitness area. Since the Fort Ritchie Community Center opened in 2008, Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services has placed medical personnel on standby at the center's events, according to a news release from the organizations. The Fort Ritchie Community Center returned the favor by allowing Smithsburg medical personnel to have free access to the community center's fitness area, the release said.

Meritus Health recently presented its EMS Excellence in Care 2012 awards to providers at Community Rescue Service, a 911 ambulance organization in Hagerstown. Meritus Health trauma and emergency services staff recognized providers for a recent emergency call that involved its services in partnership with emergency services in Franklin County, Pa. Frederick County, Md., providers also were recognized for their service on a separate call. The award recipients were Shawn Wieczorek, EMT-Basic; Justin Ruppenthal, paramedic; Robert Buck, paramedic; Alyssa Sica, EMT-Basic; and Billy Woods.