watch them zoom by with lights and sirens on as they respond to a 9-1-1 call for some type of emergency.
Have you ever wondered what exactly the Westlake Fire Department medical crews do? The answer might
surprise you on how high tech we are. Occasionally the job just requires immobilization of an injured limb
and transportation to a nearby hospital, but often we are responding to life threatening situations in which a
person needs immediate medical care.
What can Westlake Fire Department EMS crews do in these types of emergencies? Quite a bit.
Cardiac monitoring, administration of cardiac or respiratory medications, needles in the chest for collapsed
lung, or inserting oral or nasal breathing tubes are a few techniques that Westlake F.D. paramedics utilize.
The field of Para medicine continues to evolve with the addition of new techniques and equipment intended
to save lives or minimize injury in the field. A few of these newer techniques and equipment include:
Bone Drill: The Westlake Fire Department rolled out this cutting edge technology in April of 2007. Care
for a patient will often require a paramedic to administer fluids intravenously, but sometimes it’s impossible
to find a vein suitable. The bone drill allows paramedics to tap directly into the bone to deliver fluid or
intravenous medicine in a life threatening situation.
C-PAP: This technology is basically pressurized oxygen combined with a tight fitting mask. Difficulty
breathing is a common emergency medical call with a person with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). C-PAP
can be used if administering oxygen the traditional way is not enough to ease breathing difficulties. C-PAP
may also prevent the insertion of a breathing tube that could cause other complications and extend the time
the patient is in the hospital.
Lucas Compression Tool: Westlake is the first Fire Department in Texas and the fourth in the nation to
purchase the Lucas Compression tool. Although the tool has been used for a few years in Europe during
CPR it had to be Texas Sized for Americans. Other larger departments in United States have had great
results in their studies. This machine takes less than 40 seconds to put on a patient in cardiac arrest.
Once in place it provides the proper rate and depth for compressions at the current American Heart
Association standards. We have had GREAT results with four saves in the short time it has been in service.
Our Paramedics: Westlake has been fortunate to find some of the best paramedics in Texas. We require
our paid paramedics to have a minimum of two years experience with a career department that responds to
a minimum of 3,000 calls per year. Our paramedics come from the Houston Fire Dept., Fort Bend County
EMS., and Humble Fire Dept. Our 24 paramedics have over 220 years of experience. You might ask why
we require our paramedics to have this amount of experience. With all the new technology we want our
paramedics to have a good foundation of experience and a way to continue to keep their skills honed. We
compliment our paramedics with some of the finest and compassionate EMT-B and EMT-I volunteers.
What does this all mean to you? It means if you are one of the over 2,000 people treated each year by
Westlake Fire Department you are in very capable hands!
Have you ever wondered what exactly the Westlake Fire Department medical crews do? The answer might
surprise you on how high tech we are. Occasionally the job just requires immobilization of an injured limb
and transportation to a nearby hospital, but often we are responding to life threatening situations in which a
person needs immediate medical care.
What can Westlake Fire Department EMS crews do in these types of emergencies? Quite a bit.
Cardiac monitoring, administration of cardiac or respiratory medications, needles in the chest for collapsed
lung, or inserting oral or nasal breathing tubes are a few techniques that Westlake F.D. paramedics utilize.
The field of Para medicine continues to evolve with the addition of new techniques and equipment intended
to save lives or minimize injury in the field. A few of these newer techniques and equipment include:
Bone Drill: The Westlake Fire Department rolled out this cutting edge technology in April of 2007. Care
for a patient will often require a paramedic to administer fluids intravenously, but sometimes it’s impossible
to find a vein suitable. The bone drill allows paramedics to tap directly into the bone to deliver fluid or
intravenous medicine in a life threatening situation.
C-PAP: This technology is basically pressurized oxygen combined with a tight fitting mask. Difficulty
breathing is a common emergency medical call with a person with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). C-PAP
can be used if administering oxygen the traditional way is not enough to ease breathing difficulties. C-PAP
may also prevent the insertion of a breathing tube that could cause other complications and extend the time
the patient is in the hospital.
Lucas Compression Tool: Westlake is the first Fire Department in Texas and the fourth in the nation to
purchase the Lucas Compression tool. Although the tool has been used for a few years in Europe during
CPR it had to be Texas Sized for Americans. Other larger departments in United States have had great
results in their studies. This machine takes less than 40 seconds to put on a patient in cardiac arrest.
Once in place it provides the proper rate and depth for compressions at the current American Heart
Association standards. We have had GREAT results with four saves in the short time it has been in service.
Our Paramedics: Westlake has been fortunate to find some of the best paramedics in Texas. We require
our paid paramedics to have a minimum of two years experience with a career department that responds to
a minimum of 3,000 calls per year. Our paramedics come from the Houston Fire Dept., Fort Bend County
EMS., and Humble Fire Dept. Our 24 paramedics have over 220 years of experience. You might ask why
we require our paramedics to have this amount of experience. With all the new technology we want our
paramedics to have a good foundation of experience and a way to continue to keep their skills honed. We
compliment our paramedics with some of the finest and compassionate EMT-B and EMT-I volunteers.
What does this all mean to you? It means if you are one of the over 2,000 people treated each year by
Westlake Fire Department you are in very capable hands!
| IN GOOD HANDS |
| Serving the Katy Area since 1975 |
| CONTACT Westlake VFD Emergency 9-1-1 Westlake VFD 19703 Saums Road Houston, TX 77084 Phone: (281) 492-0560 FAX: (281) 492-2922 |
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