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Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
As the Village grows, so does the demand for Emergency Medical Services. In 2007, the Bolingbrook Fire Department saw 4,981 EMS related patients. The daily EMS Division operations are run by EMS Director, Lt. Ron McAdams. The EMS division is responsible for coordinating the activities of all certified paramedics and EMT's. This includes the design and implementation of all continuing education, certification of all ambulances, maintenance of medical records, and coordinating between the Illinois Department of Public Health and local hospital.
The initial education for EMT's is usually conducted through the local community college. It consists of one semester of classroom with 16 hours of working in the emergency room and on an ambulance. Upon completion of these requirements, the individual completes the state exam for licensing. In the field, EMT's are required to perform 30 hours of documented continuing education per year.
To become a paramedic, an individual must complete the EMT-Basic course and apply for the paramedic program through a resource hospital like Edward, Good Sam, Loyola, etc. The student will study topics of cardiology, pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, advanced trauma life-support, and pediatric advanced life-support. The student spends six months doing clinical rotations in various departments of the hospital and 400 hours of field operations in the ambulance.
Upon successful completion of the course, the individual must pass the state exam for licensing. The paramedic must then pass an entrance exam in the Emergency Medical System in which he/she plans to operate. Once operational, the paramedic must perform 30 hours of continuing education per year.
Currently, the all members of the Fire Department field staff are EMS trained. The department currently has 63 EMT-P (Paramedics) and 28 EMT-B (EMT’s).
Over the past eight years, the Bolingbrook Fire Department has been involved in the Paramedic Preceptor program through the Edward Hospital EMS system. A Preceptor is a Paramedic who volunteers his/her time to field train a Paramedic student by giving them the ability to ride along with the Paramedic and to participate in the care (under the paramedic’s guidance) and transport of a patient. They also help the student with their studies by answering questions dealing with patient care, Standard Operating Procedures, policies and ECG recognition.
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