Advanced Life Support service has come to Starke County. EMS Director Paul Mathewson said the service began at 7:00 a.m. Thursday morning and it has already been used to deliver patients.
“For now we have our system that we have set and running,” said Mathewson. “We’ll continue to improve each day and strive to be the best ALS service we can be.”
We asked Mathewson how they know if a call is for basic or advanced support.
“Each call that comes in is a 911 call and it’s an emergency to that person in particular for whatever reason. It’s got to be assessment to see what the person’s general chief complaint is and to match that up with how they’re feeling, how their skin color is looking, what their vital signs are showing, and really be able to prove if they need further, extended care or if they need basic life support.”
The new ambulance is equipped and in service.
“It puts us on par with a lot of other ALS services around the state in terms of showing our employees that we care and showing the county that we care by getting us the best equipment possible.”
