Letter to Editor | Hail From the Chief

— from Orcas Fire Chief Scott Williams —

Responding to multiple incidents on Friday, June 15 was a powerful example of what long hours of training, effective communication, balanced coordination of resources, and invaluable medical direction can produce. Orcas Fire, SJC Dispatch, Island Air Ambulance, Airlift Northwest, and the Navy displayed coordinated efforts resulting in excellent outcomes for six patients in one day.

Between the hours of 8:55 a.m. and 6:55 p.m., the Orcas Fire Department Paramedics and EMTs were put to the test. And boy did they deliver!! With six EMS calls stretching from Deer Harbor to Olga, these teams of dedicated folks answered your calls for help. San Juan County dispatch handled each call with precision and detail and really rose to the challenge of handling — at one point — five simultaneous calls, three of which required the coordination of air medical transports off the island.

One of the five calls was a fire investigation and required movement of fire engines and firefighters from other scenes to respond. The requests for 911 service were answered in an organized manner from dedicated staff and volunteers with the help of clear communications from the San Juan County Dispatch Center and on-line medical direction from the county’s Medical Director.

Island Air Ambulance responded to the first call to transport a patient to Seattle. And after two other missions from Friday Harbor, Island Air was called again to transport an Orcas patient to Seattle. With a very tired day crew, they were able to pick up a fresh crew to safely complete the requested transport.

At the same time, another crew of Orcas Medics and EMT’s were requesting Airlift Northwest for the 3rd Air Medical Transport of the day. But it didn’t end there. There was yet another team of Medics and EMTs on the scene of an emergency out in Olga which also required emergency air medical transport to Harborview. With both Island Air Ambulance and Airlift Northwest transporting other patients, the Navy was dispatched and responded quickly to transport the patient from Olga.

The “ready to serve” status of all three of these air medical resources confirms the value and commitment that these assets bring to our community. We are grateful for the work they do to remain mission ready.

And not to be overlooked is the invaluable support and direction that the Orcas Medics and EMTs receive from our Supervising Physician, Dr. Michael Sullivan. Dr. Sullivan provides 24 hour medical direction to on-scene providers and assists with transport decisions on nearly every Orcas EMS call. He makes us better at what we do in so many ways and our patients are the beneficiaries of his dedication and skills.

So please join me in thanking all of the above teams for a job well done. We work as one well-oiled machine, creating positive outcomes and gaining the respect of our community as well as each other.