Shaler EMS (Pennsylvania)

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Shaler EMS (SEMS) is the primary ambulance service for Shaler Township, Pennsylvania.

History

Shaler Area EMS was founded in 1992 as a consolidation of ambulance services run by three of the township's volunteer fire departments: Elfinwild, Cherry City, and Shaler Villa. In its initial formation, there was talk of including one or more nearby boroughs in its service area, hence the "Shaler Area" name. This never came to pass, and the "Area" was dropped from the name after 10 years of continuous service.

Management

Contacts

Position	Name	Email	Phone number
General		911@shalerems.com	(412) 487-6590
Chief	Joe Johnson

Response Criteria

SEMS is dispatched by Allegheny County Dispatch.

Some of the local volunteer fire departments provide first-responder service: Bauerstown VFD, Shaler Villa VFD, and Sharps Hill VFD. The police are equipped with AEDs.

Inter-facility Transports

SEMS occasionally does interfacility transports. Emergency transfers are dispatched by the county. Trips of a less urgent nature are scheduled with Norcom.

Equipment

Has	Lifepak 15, Lifepak 12, CPAP, Supraglottic Airway Device, Ventilator
Doesn't have	Automated Compression Device

Clinical Practice

Procedures

Allowed to perform	Synchronized Cardioversion, Transcutaneous Pacing
Not allowed to perform	Rapid Sequence Intubation, Surgical Cricothyroidotomy, Central Line Placement, Episiotomy, Escharotomy

Medications

For Pain Management

Has	Morphine, Fentanyl
Doesn't have

For Nausea/Vomiting

Has	Zofran
Doesn't have

Decision Making

Transport Decisions

Since most crews are split EMT/paramedic, who rides in the back is decided on a case by case basis by the crew present. When a BLS crew is on, the medic can transfer the call to that BLS crew.

Allowed to	Transfer transport responsibility to a BLS crew, Request helicopter transport
Not allowed to	Treat & release without signed refusal, Refuse transport by EMS

STEMI

Allowed to	Transmit 12-lead wirelessly to hospital
Not allowed to	Directly activate the cathlab

Human Resources

Hiring

SEMS hires EMTs and paramedics who submit a resume. Volunteers submit a standardized application. Employees undergo a pre-employment physical (which includes lifting tests) and urine drug screen. Many of their employees were volunteers first.

Salary

Most paramedics gross $40-50,000 including overtime.

Experience

Exclusive of management, only 1 employee has been with SEMS since its inception in 1992. The remaining full-time paramedics were hired between 1999-2003.

Quality Assurance

All tripsheets are reviewed within 48 hours by trained staff members.

Funding

Most SEMS funding comes from billing revenues. A portion also comes from subscriptions purchased by residents. As a 501(c)3 corporation, SEMS also receives donations from local businesses and individuals.

Statistics

Call Volume

Call volume in most years averages about 2000 calls. This includes both emergency and non-emergency transports.

Staffing

SEMS employs 4 full-time paramedics and 4 full-time EMTs.

Patient Outcomes

Cardiac Arrest

SEMS does not compile cardiac arrest statistics. Survival to hospital discharge is not tracked.

References

Staffing] edit[

Staffing of Posts All respond from fully staffed posts
Number of Full-Time Employees 4
Number of Part-Time Employees 4

Medical Configuration] edit[
Organization Type Private Type of Organization Not For Profit Annual EMS Responses 2000 Protocol Origination State
Services Provided
Non-Transport BLS Yes (1) Prehospital Cath Lab Activation Other Transport Destination Restrictions None

Staffing] edit[

Staffing of Posts
Number of Full-Time Employees
Number of Part-Time Employees

Dispatch] edit[
Type of 911 Access E9-1-1
Type of Wireless 911 Access
Primary Landline PSAP Allegheny County Dispatch
Primary Wireless PSAP Allegheny County Dispatch
Secondary PSAP
Dispatched by Primary PSAP
Timestamp Record

Drugs in Protocol] edit[
Activated Charcoal	Not in Scope
Adenosine	Standing
Albuterol-Proventil	Standing
Aminophylline	Not in Scope
Amiodarone-Cordarone	Standing
Amyl Nitrite	Not in Scope
Aspirin	Standing
Atropine Sulfate	Standing
Benzocaine	Standing
Calcium Chloride	Standing
D5W	Not in Scope
Dextrose 25%	Standing
Dextrose 50%	Standing
Dexamethasone	Not in Scope
Diazepam-Valium	Standing
Diltiazem-Cardizem	Standing
Diphenhydramine-Benadryl	Standing
Dobutamine-Dobutrex	Non-Standing
Dopamine-Inotropin	Non-Standing
Epinephrine-Adrenalin	Standing
Epinephrine-Racemic	Not in Scope
Etomidate-Amidate	Not in Scope
Fentanyl-Sublimaze	Standing
Flumazenil-Romazicon	Not in Scope
Furosemide-Lasix	Standing
Glucagon-GlucaGen	Standing
Haloperidol-Haldol	Not in Scope
Influenza Virus Vaccine	Non-Standing
Ipratropium-Atrovent	Standing
Isoproterenol-Isuprel	Not in Scope
Isoetharine	Not in Scope
Ketamine	Not in Scope
Labatolol-Normodyne	Not in Scope
Lidocaine-Xylocaine	Standing
Lidocaine Viscous	Not in Scope
Lorazepam-Ativan	Not in Scope
Magnesium Sulfate	Standing
Metaprolol-Lopressor	Not in Scope
Metaproterenol-Alupent	Not in Scope
Methylene Blue	Not in Scope
Methylprednisolone-Solu Medrol
Metoclopramide-Reglan	Not in Scope
Midazolam-Versed	Standing
Morphine Sulfate	Standing
Nalaxone-Narcan	Standing
Nifedipine-Procardia	Not in Scope
Nitroglycerin	Standing
Norepinephrine-Levophed	Not in Scope
Ondansetron-Zofran	Standing
Oxytocin-Pitocin	Not in Scope
Pancuronium-Pavulon	Not in Scope
Phenobarbital	Not in Scope
Phenylephrine	Not in Scope
Pralidoxime	Not in Scope
Procainamide-Pronestyl	Not in Scope
Prochlorperazine-Compazine	Not in Scope
Promethazine-Phenergan	Not in Scope
Sodium Bicarbonate	Non-Standing
Sodium Nitrite	Not in Scope
Sodium Thiosulfate	Not in Scope
Succinylcholine	Not in Scope
Terbutaline-Brethine	Not in Scope
Thiamine	Not in Scope
Toradol-Ketorolac	Not in Scope
Vasopressin-Pitressin	Not in Scope
Vecuronium-Norcuron	Not in Scope
Verapamil	Not in Scope
Add-In Drugs: