December 26, 2008

Rufus short EMTs
Sherman County town has no EMTs to staff volunteer ambulance

By SAM CRAIG
of The Chronicle

     If you’re living in Rufus and you think there’s a chance you might need an ambulance some time in the future, Sherman County’s Emergency Services department has a message for you: Move.
     Rufus Ambulance, which was the life line for Rufus residents needing emergency help, is without a single Emergency Medical Technician, or EMT. Sherman County Ambulance has been coming in to take care of Rufus’ emergencies, but there’s only so much they can do with a limited staff.
     “As far as needing EMTs in Rufus,” said Shawn Payne, emergency services director for Sherman County, “that’s been something that’s been going on for years. We’ve always had one or two down there. Sherman County Ambulance, which is part of what I deal with, takes a majority of the county and then Rufus Ambulance, which is governed by the city of Rufus, they have a very small area.      Sherman County Ambulance has always covered at least 50 to 75 percent of the Rufus Ambulance calls, but now their last two EMTs left, and we cover it completely.”
     At the Sherman County Court meeting on Dec. 7, Payne brought up the needs and concerns of Sherman County Ambulance. With the citizens of Rufus in need of help, as well as the other 1,500 or so residents of Sherman County, the single ambulance team is being stretched as far as it can go.
     Sherman County has offered EMT and first responder courses to the public at their own expense, but haven’t had too many takers. Payne says EMT work is hard and is all voluntary, so there aren’t too many people who are all that thrilled at the possibility of working the late shift and being on call 24 hours a day for up to a week at a time. But Payne believes once the public sees the need for emergency personnel, something’s going to happen.
     “We need to let the people of Rufus know that they don’t have an ambulance,” Payne said. “That’s been my biggest thing, because they were continuing to sell memberships down there to their citizens and I said, you guys can’t do that.      They need to be hit right between the eyes to realize that they don’t have an ambulance and they need to do something about it. It could definitely be a life or death situation down there.”
     Repeated calls and messages to Rufus city hall went unanswered over the course of several days.
     Sherman County Ambulance has people on call 24 hours a day. They’re trying to do the job that Rufus can’t, but it’s tricky when they’ve got such a large county to cover with a fairly small number of people. It can mean big trouble for someone who’s in need of immediate help.
     “This is all volunteer,” Payne said. “So if, let’s say, somebody’s having respiritory problems or a heart attack in Rufus, then they have to wait. It could take up to 10 minutes to get a crew together. Then, the way the roads are right now, it’s taking us 40 minutes to get to Rufus. That’s why I say it’s better for them just to start heading to The Dalles.”
     Sherman County Ambulance is located in Moro, so if there’s only one crew on duty and they have to chose between helping two people on either end of the county, they’ll need some help.
     “Mid-Columbia Fire & Rescue will help if we just absolutely can’t get anybody,” Payne said. “But they’re having a hard time even manning their own ambulances. They’re having a hard time getting volunteers, just like everybody else is.”
     There’s no hospital in Sherman County and the medical clinic in Moro is only open during the day. When it comes to people who know they will need medical attention in a hurry, Payne suggests a change of scenery.
     “Move to the Dalles,” she said. “I’m serious. I talked to one guy the other day who wanted me to sell him an ambulance membership, and I said, ‘I can’t, you guys don’t live in our district.’ He said his wife had gone into cardiac arrest twice and was partially paralyzed and I asked him, ’What are you doing in Rufus?’”
     To lighten the load of the over-stretched ambulance team, and to keep yourself from harm, Payne recommends taking care of your health and doing something about it before it becomes an emergency.
     “My advice to people in Sherman County,” she said, “If you think you’re having a heart attack, don’t wait. Don’t wait until it gets to be a real emergency. Seek medical help immediately. It’s better if you call during the day or the early evening rather than waiting until 2 o’clock in the morning, because it’s going to take us a lot longer to get down there or anywhere. It’s just being cognizant of what’s going on with your body and your health. If you don’t feel good, go get checked out.”
     But if you’re in good health, Payne says, and you’re still interested in making the job of the ambulance crews easier, she’s got a way to help.
     “Start stepping up to the plate,” Payne said. “Take some EMT or first responder classes and get on the ambulance. Be part of the solution, not the problem.”