Lapeer County EMS

Lapeer County EMS Authority
We are a community service for the citizens of Lapeer County. Created in 1997 by the merging of three local ambulance agencies, Lapeer Area Ambulance Service, North Branch Area Ambulance Service, and the Imlay City Department of Public Safety which have served the area as early as 1969. The service is now governed seven member Board of Directors with representatives appointed by the fifteen municipalities within Lapeer County.

Lapeer County EMS provides emergency and non emergency ambulance transport and is a member of the Mobile Health Resource, LLC, network of ambulance companies created to provide medically related transportation services on a regional and statewide basis for healthcare plans, health systems and other large purchasers in Michigan.

Lapeer County EMS also offers Education Services for any community members, group or organization interested in CPR, First Aid or use of the Automated External Defibrillators (AED), as well as to those individuals wishing to make EMS a career. many of our current employees have started or advanced their training with our Education Services.

Lapeer County EMS employees are trained at all levels of licensure and hold State of Michigan licenses at the Medical First Responder, emergency Medical Technician-Basic, Emergency Medical Technician-Specialist, and Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic. We also have on staff 4 State of Michigan licensed Instructor Coordinators. All EMS personnel are CPR certified in American heart Association CPR for the Healthcare Provider course and are updated on a yearly basis. In addition, all Paramedics are certified in the American Heart Association Cardiac Life Support Provider (ACLS) course.

January 24, 2013

To: Residents of Lapeer County

Currently, there are seven EMS agencies approved by the Lapeer County Medical Control Authority to operate within Lapeer County, including Lapeer County Emergency Medical Services (LCEMS). The agencies are: Bruce Township EMS from Bruce Township, Romeo, Patriot EMS from Genesee County, Pro-Med from Genesee County, Marlette EMS from Sanilac County, Mayville Ambulance from Tuscola County, and MedStar from Clinton Township, Macomb County. The Lapeer County 9-1-1 Dispatch Director has given all EMS agencies specific geographical operating areas within the county.

Speculation is rumoring that Lapeer County EMS will be going out of business. I assure you that you’re locally owned hometown agency has no intention of going out of business; in fact, we are looking to expand our services, certifications, and involvement in the community.

Locally owned and operated, LCEMS has provided quality emergency medical care and transportation to residents of the county and individuals who travel and work within the county since 1997. We currently employ 69 EMT’s, Specialists, and Paramedics who have responded to more than 6,700 calls in 2012. LCEMS is owned by 14 townships and municipalities (Hadley, Oregon, Dryden, North Branch, Arcadia, Almont, Attica, Deerfield, Elba, Goodland, Imlay, Imlay City, Lapeer, Mayfield, and Metamora). We are governed by an interlocal agreement signed by these jurisdictions July 1, 1997 when three municipal EMS agencies (Lapeer Area Ambulance Service, North Branch Area Ambulance Service, and Imlay City Ambulance Service) merged to create Lapeer County EMS.

We offer advanced life support and are licensed by the State of Michigan. LCEMS operates four advanced life support ambulances 24/7/365. We have seven back-up ambulances that can be manned in a very short period of time, anytime day or night, by licensed personnel who respond from home. We also have an ALS non-transporting unit which is manned by road supervisors who are licensed paramedics and respond to calls when needed.

As a government authority, we reinvest our earnings in clinical equipment, training programs, fleet upgrades, fleet safety, and employee benefits. Each year we commit to purchase at least one new ambulance, which allows us to maintain a quality fleet of vehicles, ensuring quick and efficient responses when Lapeer County citizens and visitors call. We have identified the community’s need for wheelchair van availability. We are moving forward to purchase a wheelchair van which should be in operation mid April of 2013. We maintain an in-house fleet maintenance department; LCEMS maintains its fleet above industry standards, providing safe and reliable vehicles for care and transportation.

Our ambulances are equipped with the industry’s most effective clinical care products and devices and we continually seek new and improved care delivery methods, equipment, and techniques. Recently, a grant funded by Four County Community Foundation equipped four of our front-line ambulances with a “Lucas Device.” This CPR device is applied during cardiac arrest and automatically maintains chest compressions, creating more freedom for medical professionals to perform other life-saving techniques.

Calls we respond to are monitored for appropriate scramble times, response times, transit times, retrospective and prospective clinical care analysis, provider feedback, and for education and training to ensure a continuous link between clinical quality and provider training and development.

LCEMS is proud of operations standards. We are always looking to agency improvement. We currently are working on the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) application. This process should be completed in 2013. CAAS accreditation means that Lapeer County EMS has met the performance “gold standard” as determined by the ambulance industry.

LCEMS, a Michigan Association of Ambulance Services (MAAS) member of the since 1997, is approved by the state as a certified training center. LCEMS offers a minimum of two Basic EMT classes each year as well as CPR certification and re-certification, which is available to the community on a monthly basis. LCEMS paramedics are certified as Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support Technicians in order to improve trauma care quality and decrease mortality. Additionally, our paramedics will soon be certified Critical Care Providers. Paramedics will work with trauma-certified hospitals when transferring trauma patients between facilities for a higher level of care, when necessary.

The LCEMS goal is to provide the highest level and quality to its patients. Providing compassionate, advanced clinical patient care, service to the community and to facilities that request our services in the most efficient and cost-effective way is our commitment.

I want to thank the community for supporting us for 17 years. We count on your continued support of your locally owned and operated EMS agency. I hope you find this information helpful. Should any service-related questions arise, contact our helpful staff at (810) 664-2927.

Sincerely,

Galland Burnham EMT-P
Executive Director

What to do until an Ambulance Arrives
Stay calm: By keeping calm, it is not only reassuring to the person who is sick or injured, but can help you in taking appropriate steps to initiate emergency care.

Call 9-1-1: If someone else is with you, send them to cal 9-1-1. When possible, please have the following information available at the time of the call:

The address or location of the injured person
A call back telephone number
A brief description of injuries or illness
how many people are injured

If the patient is not breathing and/or has no pulse, a 9-1-1 dispatcher may be able to walk you through CPR by relaying instructions over the phone until help can arrive.

If the patient is injured in a car crash and there is no immediate danger, such as smoke or fire from the vehicle, do not remove the patient from the vehicle. Excessive unnecessary movement can cause additional injuries to the patient.

Make sure you hang up the phone last to make sure the dispatcher has enough information to send the appropriate help.

Please be advised that 2-1-1 is now operational in Lapeer County!!!! This will be a great resource for our citizens.

If you know of any residents in need of non-emergency assistance, please be sure
to give them this number. They can also access it via the web at www.211.UnitedWaySEM.org