Emergency Medical Services

Emergency Medical Services

Information for our Community

This page is dedicated to the members of our community that we serve. We, as members of Plaza Volunteer Rescue Squad love serving our community, and providing the best Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical care possible. Education is the key not only for us as emergency care providers but for everyone. With that in mind we would like to share with our community links and information we have found on the world wide web that might calm your fears, help you save a life, or just educate further.

What is the H1N1 Flu

The H1N1 Flu is a new strain of influenza currently causing illness in the United States and abroad. The symptoms of H1N1 are very similar to seasonal influenza and adults 65 and older, young children, pregnant women, and people with certain chronic medical conditions are more at risk for medical complications. It is recommended that anyone with questions or concerns about exposure or treatment of the H1N1 virus should seek the advice of a medical professional.

Review the following links for more information:

· Flu.gov

· CDC 2009 H1N1 Flu

If you become sick with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, and you are not in a healthcare setting, you should stay at home at least 24 hours after being free of fever or signs of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. If it is necessary to leave your home to seek medical care, wear a face mask in order to avoid spreading the virus to others. If you work in a healthcare setting, you should stay home for 7 days after illness onset or until 24 hours after the resolution of symptoms, whichever is longer.

Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

It has been shown that CPR can prolong life while advanced care is on its way. It has been found that even the use of a defibrillator by an EMS technician 8-12 minutes after someone's collapse is less effective than immediate CPR.

Sometimes it has been said that CPR actually doubles the victim's chance of survival from cardiac arrest. And when considering that 75% of those cardiac arrests occur in people's homes, knowing CPR is really essential. It has also been noted that if CPR is administered within four minutes of the victim's collapse and if defibrillation is done within 10 minutes, the victim now has a 40% chance of survival.

By itself, CPR cannot save most cardiac arrest victims, but combined with advanced medical care, soon after CPR is started, survival rate improves. CPR is most commonly performed after someone has suffered cardiac arrest. Knowing these statistics, looking into a CPR group training course is your next step. Below are some links about CPR. Remember it is important to call 911 if someone is unconscious to ensure that Emergency Medical Services are dispatched to your location.

How CPR Works

American Heart Association

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness that has recently been reported in Asia, North America, and Europe. In general, SARS begins with a fever greater than 100.4°F [>38.0°C]. Other symptoms may include headache, an overall feeling of discomfort, and body aches. Some people also experience mild respiratory symptoms. After 2 to 7 days, SARS patients may develop a dry cough and have trouble breathing. The primary way that SARS appears to spread is by close person-to-person contact. Most cases of SARS have involved people who cared for or lived with someone with SARS, or had direct contact with infectious material (for example, respiratory secretions) from a person who has SARS. Potential ways in which SARS can be spread include touching the skin of other people or objects that are contaminated with infectious droplets and then touching your eye(s), nose, or mouth. This can happen when someone who is sick with SARS coughs or sneeze droplets onto themselves, other people, or nearby surfaces. It also is possible that SARS can be spread more broadly through the air or by other ways that are currently not known. To keep up-to-date with the latest information about SARS go to Center for Disease Control website.

Kids Corner

Consumer Health Information Service for Kids

FEMA for KIDS

United States Fire Administration Kids Page

Smokey the Bear

Sparky Homepage

McGruff the Crime Dog