Like most EMS agencies during this time, Grayson County EMS ran out of Type 3 Ambulances. These were a self contained unit, unlike Type 1 or 2. These had advantages over some other types of ambulances, such as the ability to pass between the cab and patient access area. Due to changes in technology, costs, and manufacturing capabilities, agencies began moving between Type 1, 2, and 3 ambulances. Grayson County EMS now has a fleet of six new Type 1 ambulances that can be seen below.
Grayson County EMS began utilizing a Type 1 ambulance design in 2018. This design is a standard truck chassis with the patient care portion mounted on the rear chassis, where a ‘bed’ would usually be. This type of ambulance is becoming increasingly popular due to the ease of manufacturing and ease of use. We currently have four F350 ambulances and two F450 ranging from 2020 to 2024 models. These trucks are outfitted with the best of emergency warning systems including lights and sirens manufactured by Whelen Engineering. They are also equipped with the newest in advanced medical technologies.
GCEMS utilizes the latest and greatest in stretcher technology with the Ferno iNX power stretcher. These units consist of a mattress pad, five point restraint system for safety purposes, and many other fantastic features. This ensure that our patients are able to be safe and comfortable while en route to their destination, as well as the assist our employees by reducing their physical workload. With dual powered actuators for the front and rear legs, and a 700 pound weight capacity, these stretchers will stand the test. They also include sliding and folding mechanisms to make them more compact to fit into tighter spaces. Ferno has outfitted these units with four independent steering wheels for maximum maneuverability.
The X-Series Monitors, manufactured by Zoll Medical Corporation, are a new age and state of the art monitor and defibrillator. These units give us lots of capabilities, including the capability of cardiac monitoring, to monitor your heart’s electrical activity, and are able to monitor other vitals, such as blood pressure and heart rate. These are also a defibrillator, more commonly referred to as an AED. With 21st century technologies, these monitors can transmit vital diagnostics to a receiving facility for their medical staff to view prior to our arrival. These can also be implemented to ease the workload of our providers by being able to transmit vitals and treatments directly to their patient care reports. Grayson County EMS currently has four of the unit deployed.
In the field, some patients require a laryngoscopic intubation if they are critically ill and/or injured. The King Vision Video Laryngoscope is a new age and technologically advanced tool to ease the difficulty of performing this procedure. The earlier counterpart to these units were a large metal handle and large blade with a flashlight on the end. Users would have to manually visualize where they would be placing the tube. With an upgrade to the King Vision, the job is significantly easier. The King Vision employes an intubation blade with a small flashlight as well as a microscopic camera. When paired with the King Vision screen, it allows the user to better and more accurately visualize the airway structures to better intubate the patient.
In critical incidents, IV access (the typical access that is used to draw blood or receive fluids), is sometimes not able to be obtained. During some calls, such as trauma or a cardiac arrest, when every second counts, the EZ-IO is a very valuable and fast tool that can be deployed to aid in the treatment of the patient. Unlike an IV that goes into your veins, the IO (intraosseous) goes into the bone, typically in the shoulder or lower leg. While this sounds very painful and invasive, when this is deployed, it is for a life or death situation and is our last resort. This will still give us access to push vitals medications or fluids that the patient would need. GCEMS uses the EZ-IO which has a drill that the needle is placed on and is inserted into the bone. Some services carry manual versions of this that have to be hand twisted.
GCEMS has six Edan Sonotrax Dopplers. These are most commonly used in pregnant women to detect fetal heart tones. For EMS purposes, they can be used to detect pulses when detecting them physically in not possible. These are especially used in injuries to legs to ensure that the patient has a pulse in their feet to maintain critical blood flow. These are very helpful tools that are not carried by many services but when they are needed, the are a powerful tool.
When all other options have failed, a patient may sometimes end up requiring a ventilator to support their breathing. This, however, is not always a bad thing. Often times patients are placed on a ventilator as an effort to reduce the workload on the body allowing the rest of the body to heal quicker. Grayson County EMS uses Zoll Z-Vents for critical situations. These are kept on two advanced life support trucks. They can be used in the field after a patient has been intubated and can also be used in less emergent situations such as CPAP or BiPAP. These units are also used on inter-facility transfers when the current hospital has exhausted their resources this results in the patient needing to be transported to another hospital. These types of transports would not be possible without these tools.
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