By Larry Smith
Hartford Courant
Copyright 2007 The Hartford Courant Company
All Rights Reserved
ENFIELD, Conn. — Town and fire officials are hoping to work out a plan with the emergency department of Johnson Memorial Hospital that will allow fire department personnel to become first responders on medical calls.
Representatives from the town’s fire departments, ambulance service and the hospital met Thursday at a special town council meeting to discuss allowing emergency medical technicians from the fire departments to answer medical calls.
Dr. Charles Bizilj, director of the emergency department at Johnson Memorial Hospital, told the town council that the Enfield ambulance service does a good job and provides cutting-edge service.
Bizilj, who oversees Enfield’s medical services, said he is reluctant to increase the number of people who respond to emergency medical calls. He said he wants to be able to provide predictable, consistent medical services, which involves having EMTs who work on a regular basis with emergency room personnel.
Bizilj said he wants EMTs and paramedics who are trained, practiced and work regularly in medical services. He said having first responders who don’t have regular experience working would dilute the system.
Town council members said that when they approved creating the Enfield ambulance service to replace American Medical Response, they envisioned that EMTs from the town’s fire departments would eventually be included in the service.
“The system you’re describing is not the one I signed off on,’' Council Minority Leader Scott Kaupin said.
North Thompsonville Fire Chief Earl Provencher said he respects the job that the ambulance service is doing but that there are many times when the town has to call in ambulances from other communities. The fire departments have trained and experienced EMTs on duty that can get to emergency calls minutes earlier than mutual aid ambulances, Provencher said.
Enfield Fire Chief Edward Richards said his department has firefighters with 10 to 15 years of EMT experience and training that were acting as first responders until the ambulance service was created.
Bizilj said he and Paul Wentworth, the EMS director, are willing to meet with fire, town and ambulance officials to come up with a workable plan.