news from
May 2012
Baseball Season Is Here!
Superior Ambulance is the contracted ambulance provider for
both the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs baseball teams.
This year Superior has expanded its
service at both parks to provide better
service to players and fans! Starting
with the Chicago White Sox, Superior
Ambulance has added a 5th person
who sits in the camera well directly
next to the White Sox bench. This employee is used as a liaison between the
team physicians/trainers and the rest
of the medical staff. This year service
was also expanded with the Chicago Cubs. Superior now provides seven to nine medical staff at each game. Currently there
are three response teams that respond
to calls within the park and handle
all medical emergencies outside of
the first aid room. Superior also provides one game day supervisor who
is responsible for coordinating any response or EMS issue that may happen.
Let’s hope for a winning season!
Compliment
4/10/12
I wanted to bring to your attention the outstanding
performance of a couple Superior Ambulance EMTs.
It happens to everyone who works in EMS at some
point. You are holding an area, relaxing...reading the
paper, eating or playing on your phone...when suddenly
there is someone at your window with what is usually a
serious medical emergency. Now you’re on a call. It’s 0
to 60 in one second.
Such was the case on Friday, March 6th. Dominic Certa
and Adam Hegyi were holding 61st and I65 in Merrillville. A car flew up next to them and a young guy got out
and said his Mom, who was driving, was having a heart
attack. Having had this happen to me more times than
I can count... I can tell you that it will certainly wake
you up. The outstanding actions and decisions that followed absolutely gave this woman the very best possible
chance for a good outcome.
EMS Week 2012
is May 20 – 26!
This is a time to recognize
workers in all areas of the EMS
field. In honor of EMS week,
we will be having our corporate
annual barbeque on Tuesday,
May 22nd. Check for postings
at your stations for events at all
of Superior’s stations to celebrate EMS week!
They didn’t panic, although they immediately recognized the seriousness of the emergency.
They made the aggressive and appropriate decision
themselves to treat and transport to St. Mary’s, as the
ETA of an ALS ambulance was longer than their short
transport time. They placed the patient in a position of
comfort and then administered 100% O2 via a Non-Rebreather mask, as well as gave the patient ASA per their
S.O.P.s. Then they began transporting the patient Code
2 to St. Mary’s.
I was in the ER at St. Mary’s at the time and had the
pleasure of hearing Dominic give an excellent, calm and
clear IHERN report of the patient’s condition as well as
their treatment. A STEMI Alert was issued and the Cath
Lab was placed on notice, all prior to the patient even
arriving at the hospital! Upon arriving at the hospital,
the ER Doctor and Nurses were already in the patient’s
room awaiting their arrival. Dominic and Adam gave a
very thorough report of their care and treatment to the
staff taking over the patient’s care.
So very often...Private Ambulance Service EMTs don’t
get the credit that they so rightly deserve.
There can be absolutely no question that the superb
and aggressive treatment administered by Dominic and
Adam gave this patient the very best possible chance
for a good recovery. It truly was Superior EMS at its
very best.
Lance Collins, Emergency Medical Technician,
Paramedic for 21 years.
2
SuperiorLights&Sirens
May Birthdays
5/1
JeffreyMoore
DanielMeyer
5/2
JanetBrooks
JohnBrick
BrianVoss
LeslieGilbert
ScottRosati
JonathanBoughton
5/3
ChristopherSides
EricCioni
DewayneWalker
RobertBerriman
5/4
KeithRoberts
5/5
WilliamRyan
JasonRaddatz
JessicaClark
TiffanyAbner
CarlHoward
CarlHunter
RachelGeorge
5/6
BenjaminOros
DouglasPicirillo
ThomasLynch
WesleyBily
5/7
MatthewFranzen
KyleMoriarty
ElizabethRoig
WilliamThompson
KeithGorman
5/8
NoahReyes
JoseIbarra
GregoryMares
MarkDiedrich
ZinaOpper
MartinNelson
BrandonYoung
5/9
LindaJohnson
KennethWelnetz
JonathanValentine
DominicTosto
5/10
KennethLee
DaveBurgdorf
JeffreySpoutz
5/11
ClarissaLugo
KeleIvey
DanielHenderson
GuyTimbs
AnitreaSmith
5/13
LawrenceKocen
MaryKeating
TomJaeger
EdgarRenteria
HeidiBrower
MichelleAmbrose
CoryChisolm
5/14
KarenMarshall
JosephBiasi
PeterKennedy
DavidZagotta
RebeccaRalph
PatrickFlowers
ChristopherNickel
5/16
JeanHughes
RickieStewart
StephanieButler
5/17
MichaelQuintanilla
DanielSchmidt
MichaelCrase
DamienCupello
FerdinandGerstenberg
5/12
DanielHarrison
SergioHernandez
Rangel
SeanDennis
23 Years
MartinNelson
15 Years
KeithEllis
10 Years
JacobOcasio
22 Years
DenisBrunner
12 Years
ArelisNavarro
JamesBoyer
MichaelLynn
5 Years
CodyBrumm
CiaraAlmon
BarbaraMarcyn
MauriceLacy
JosephBarlog
FalonAdams
KathleenVana
JohnAbbo
17 Years
CharlesParsons
DavidSchreiber
DarrellGoodman
16 Years
DavidNovotny
11 Years
LatashaDunnigan
RaymondSebastian
ThomasLynch
ElzbietaIgielski
TammyVaughn
5/19
JohnMonoscalco
StephanieShannon
5/15
JustinaAl-Shamrookh
May Milestone Anniversaries
19 Years
RichardHoehne
5/18
LeonidasMargelis
OscarVillagomez
MatthewMcMillin
JoshuaJanke
DavidJencks
AlexTanner
LyndaWatson
KevinGaden
BrianMarcotte
5/20
CodyBrumm
PiotrStanula
SeanMozdzen
DuaneHarris
EricPoleretzky
SaulGonzalez
ErinShanks
RicardoMercado
JessicaOlmos
5/21
FradelaJoyceSoriano
AmandaFagan
AbbiLane
KyleLafond
5/22
KirkLiedberg
JasonTaylor
5/23
AlexPastrana
BrandonTurner
NicoleCarter
WisamKhalil
5/24
AlexisLopez
DustinHawley
AlicjaHeskin
PattiBlomquist
CynthiaMontrosse
RickeySanders
JamarPeterson
5/25
OlgaVlasova
KevinHosack
ThomasMoran
DawnTodd
AaronHogan
DionnePenman
CarolynLanders
TrentJohnson
RobertLewis
5/26
StephaniePartridge
MichaelWitz
AmyDotson
5/27
RobertStarck
DenisBrunner
JessicaBertolotti
CollinJacobs
JohnGangi
ElizabethSteel
RaymondSebastian
JoeNailer
IsaacZuniga
PhilipBergin
EricStempien
5/28
ZacharyLyth
RobertDamon
5/29
AnthonyHerrera29
RichardCole
5/30
EdwardSchaefer
JorgeEncinas
CarloRizzo
JuanitaWash-Shell
5/31
DanielCossa
EvanShor
ShannonScarborough
SarahStephan
VernellJohnson
BrianTaylor
ANNUAL
FAMILY DAY
OUTING AT
SIX FLAGS
GREAT AMERICA
From coasters to characters there’s fun for everyone! This
year our picnic will be on June 16th. The later date means the
park will be open from 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM, with Hurricane
Harbor Water Park open from 11:15 AM – 7:00 PM. Check
out Great America’s newest coaster ride, the X-FLIGHT.
Our seating time in the Picnic Grove will be from 3:00 PM
– 5:30 PM, with lots to eat and games to play. Ticket prices
are $18.50 each for the first two tickets and $37.00 for each
additional ticket.
Tickets go on sale May 1st. Call Donna Prince to order your
tickets by no later than June 11th at 800-832-200, ext. 2500.
May2012
3
News from Indiana
Franciscan Alliance Dedication
Superior
EMT Alistair
Dowds and Flight Crewmember Walter Dobinson,
FP-C, CCEMT-P in front of
Air Med 1 at the EMS Open
House in Chesterton, IN on
March 13th, 2012.
Walter Dobinson, Flight
Paramedic for Air Med 1
said, “It is always a positive thing when we can get
people care much faster than
going by ground. Each flight
will be manned by a pilot, a
paramedic and a nurse to ensure the best care.”
Tom Bettenhausen, Operations Manager for Superior Ambulance and Strike Team Leader of IDHS (Indiana Department of
Homeland Security) District 1 said, “We will be manning this
emergency facility 24 hours a day and also supplying additional
ambulance service, along with Air Med. 1, a helicopter for critically injured and sick transports. Minutes matter and we can fly
the patients out so people can get much needed medical care at
a Level 1 trauma center.” Pictured along with the ambulance is
the IDHS District 1 Mass Casualty Truck and Trailer.
Franciscan Alliance dedicated its
new Emergency Center in Chesterton on March 8 with a blessing
performed by Most Reverend Dale
J. Melczek, Bishop of the Diocese
of Gary. Among those in attendance
included Ken Sink and Tom Bettenhausen from Superior Ambulance
Service, along with Chief Mike
Orlich and Nate Williams from the
Chesterton Fire Department.
Our ambulance 127 is branded
with Franciscan Alliance St. Anthony Health - Chesterton Health &
Emergency Center
As of March 20, we have had three
transfers from the facility, and the
Chesterton residents appear thrilled
that the organization has made the
commitment to their community.
4
NEW! CPR Recertification
Recommendations and Procedures
By James S. Boyer, EMT-B, LI, AHA BLS Training Center Faculty (Acute Care Education Systems)
About CPR cards: You are
required to carry a valid CPR
card along with your professional credentials. There are
only three cards accepted:
• American Heart Association
(AHA)
• American Red Cross
• Military Training Network
These cards are good for
two years, and expire on the
last CALENDAR day of the
month the card was issued, so
for example if the stamp on
your card reads: May 2012,
your card expires at midnight
5-31-2012.
To renew CPR:
1. Check your credentials at
the beginning of every month.
Tracking your credentials is
YOUR responsibility, and you
can’t work if they expire!
2. Plan to renew about 2
months prior to the expiration date to allow for time to
receive the card without overlapping.
3. Check our website under
“Events Calendar” and register no later than 72 hours
prior to the course. We need
at least 3 for the class to run,
so gather your friends if they
need CPR, otherwise the class
may be cancelled due to lack
of enrollment. In the event of
a cancellation an email will be
sent to ALL REGISTERED
ATTENDEES & STATION
MANAGERS, so registration
is imperative.
4. Once you are registered
please make sure you attend,
and be on time. Sites where
registered people frequently
fail to attend may be pulled,
and late-comers can be turned
away. Print your name and address neatly on the roster…our
spelling is only as good as
your handwriting. Remember:
CARDS ARE NO LONGER
ISSUED AT THE CLASS!
5. Training center rules have
changed. Once a class is completed, your instructor has
to submit paperwork to SAS
AHA Training Center Faculty
to verify it is complete and accurate. The TCF will then send
it to our Training Center for
processing. It may take a week
or more before we receive the
cards for that class. Once received, the cards are printed
and sent via U.S. mail to your
home. Because of all the steps
and time involved, this is why
we suggest renewing 2 months
prior. AHA guidelines allow as
much as 30 days from the date
of a class for the card to be
issued, so early renewal will
eliminate crossover, avoiding
suspension, thus keeping you
working.
6. Online option: We’ve
had employees
fall for scam
CPR sites that
cost
$40+!
Scam cards will have fine print
that states “The above has
met the standards set forth by
[Joe’s Backyard CPR Training, Inc].” A sure-fire way is
to go on ahaonline.org and do
their class (not from the list of
sponsored links). The cost is
$22.50. After the test it will
offer a printable page. Print
it and make an appointment
with a CPR instructor to have
your skills tested ASAP. Your
paperwork will then be submitted to the training center
as outlined above. See above
for a list of approved CPR
cards…anything else will not
be accepted!
SuperiorLights&Sirens
News From Michigan
Michigan Employee Fun Day
Superior Volunteers Help
the Shriners
On March 28th, twelve Superior employees assisted special needs children
attending the Shrine Circus. This was the
first event for our newly formed group
of volunteers with the mission of “giving back to our communities and our citizens”. Our crews received high praise
for their assistance and were invited back
next year. All volunteers purchased a Superior Volunteer t-shirt that we will wear
for all our future volunteer activities.
Superior Skill At EMS Expo
Natalie Coste and Brandon Young represented Superior in the skills competition
at the EMS Expo in Grand Rapids on
April 19th. There was a new format this
year which required participants to take
a written exam, a skills exam and then
the two highest scoring teams went on
to the final competition. We are proud to
say that Brandon was honored for having the third highest score on the written
exam. Next year the expo is being held
at Cobo Hall in Detroit so we’ll have a
very short distance to go to compete!
Employees, family and friends from
throughout the Michigan Region gathered for a fun afternoon of Whirly Ball
on April 14. This gave our new and old
employees a way to get to know those
they don’t work with every day, and also
let their families meet their co-workers.
Fun was had by all and everyone is looking forward to the next outing. Special
thanks to Drew Cunningham, Christine
Baltes, Pat Busch and Andy Brown for
coordinating all our employee activities
and volunteer events.
Superior Off-duty Assist
Management Outing
Michigan Management had a team building activity on March 31 and went gocart racing. They have all been advised
to keep their day jobs as making a living
racing does not seem to be in their immediate future.
May2012
Food Drive Aids Tornado
Victims At Easter
To help support those affected by the
Dexter Tornado, Michigan held an Easter Food Drive. Our employees were
divided into eight teams (Allen Park,
Detroit and Southfield stations, Administration/Data, Dispatch, and the Warren
Crews were divided into 4 groups by the
Ops supervisors). Team Teeter (admin/
data) won a pizza party lunch by collecting the most food, but Team Butler (dispatch) was a close second so they were
included in the pizza lunch! All food that
was collected was donated to Dexter
Tornado Relief Fund.
Erik Williams was off-duty on Sunday,
April 15th attending church with his
family. A member of his church congregation passed out during service. Erik
was quickly located by a few Deacons &
Ushers and he immediately went into action assessing the patient and contacting
Lenox Township EMS. They, as well as
the church family, had nothing but positive words to say about his professional
and compassionate patient care. Erik did
not leave the member’s side, comforting
him through the whole ordeal. He made
sure that the member was monitored and
stabilized until EMS arrived. Because
of his swift actions, the member was
transported without further incident and
seen at the local hospital. He was later
released, is doing well, and wanted to
thank Erik for helping him during such
a scary episode.
SUPERIOR job Erik—we are all very
proud of YOU!
5
NORCOMM BRIEFS
Norcomm Celebrates National Public Safety Telecommunicator Assists Special Needs Caller
By Donald Nielsen, Executive Director,
Telecommunicator Week
By Donald Nielsen, Executive Director, Norcomm Public
Safety Communications, Inc.
April is recognized as 9-1-1 Education Month
and is also when we celebrate National Public
Safety Telecommunicator Week. I would like
to thank Operations Manager Robin Lewis
for her effort to make both of these events
special to our personnel at each Norcomm
station. Robin chairs our Public Education
Committee, and has given several presentations, along with other Norcomm personnel,
this past month for seniors and children.
Robin Lewis
Robin has also coordinated several events for our Telecommunicators including themed dress days, games, contests, and
catered meals during National Telecommunicator Week. Her
efforts have been appreciated by everyone, and we would like
to acknowledge her efforts, Great job, Robin!
Subject Barricades Himself in Cicero Apt.
By Marisa Cotton, 9-1-1 Director, Cicero Station
On March 9th, Heather Buhle, Leticia Dardon and Gail
Redding were working the
Dayshift when they received
a call of a disturbance with an
armed subject, which quickly
turned into the armed subject
barricading himself in the Leticia Dardon
apartment and threatening to
hurt himself. This apartment
is in close proximity to two
schools, so the decision was
made to place the two schools
on lockdown for the children’s
safety. Heather, Leticia and
Gail worked very well together, dispatching units to Gail Redding
the scene while keeping officer safety in mind the entire
time. They also handled all the
calls from the worried parents,
calming them down and reassuring them that their children
were safe. In addition to this
they also had to coordinate
with traffic control officers the Heather Buhle
streets that needed to be blocked off and made all the notifications to the different departments that assisted our department.
Great Job Ladies!
6
Norcomm Public Safety Communications, Inc.
On April 1st, Telecommunicator Marc Quattrocchi received
a 9-1-1 transfer from Cook County saying a woman yelled
but they were unable to communicate. Marc
took over the call, and noticed the sound of
a TDD (Telecommunications Device for the
Deaf) in the background. He typed a message
and was able to find out the nature of the call
and made sure the right units got there to
help in a timely manner. Marc’s quick thinking helped the caller get the help she needed. Marc Quattrocchi
Nice work!
Telecommunicators Aid Suicidal Caller
By Donald Nielsen, Executive Director,
Norcomm Public Safety Communications, Inc.
Telecomunicators Josh Younglove and Erika Jones received
multiple cellular 9-1-1 calls from an unknown caller. After a
call trace was initiated, Norcomm personnel were able to open a
line to the caller. The caller was reporting that they were with a
person who was threatening suicide by jumping off of a bridge.
Police officers and EMS personnel were sent to the scene,
and the incident was prevented. Norcomm personnel
were able to react calmly and
quickly during a high stress
incident, providing help when
it was needed before tragedy
Josh Younglove
Erika Jones
struck. Great job!
Underage Party Shut Down!
By Lisa Knowski, 911 Director, River Grove Station
The Norcomm/River Grove 911 Center received a 9-1-1 call from a resident advising
he heard loud music and screaming coming
from his neighbor’s garage. Telecommunicator Kelly Capek received all the information
and dispatched the River Grove police units
to the scene. When the officers arrived on
scene they found an underage drinking party. Kelly Capek
The police requested two ambulances to the
scene. Kelly dispatched the River Grove Fire Department and
then contacted Elmwood Park Fire for a mutual aid ambulance.
Kelly handled all the radio traffic for both police and fire. The
officers then requested Kelly to start making notifications to
the kids parents and to advise them to come down to the police
department. Kelly handled all radio traffic and notifications in
a professional manner. This is just another great job by a Norcomm Telecommunicator.
SuperiorLights&Sirens
METRO
Thank you for Great Teamwork!
By Lisa Knowski, 9-1-1 Director, River Grove Station
The Norcomm/Leyden 911 Center received a 911 call from an
elderly female advising she had fallen and was home alone.
Telecommunicator Justina Al-Shamrookh received the information and determined the caller was in River Grove. Justina
then transferred the call to myself and advised
me of the incident. I took additional information from the elderly female. Telecommunicator Lisa Conti then got on the line. I needed
a mutual aid ambulance from Melrose Park
Fire due to River Grove being on another call.
Telecommunicator Stacy O’Connor handled
the dispatch of Melrose Park 701. Lisa then
began asking the caller additional questions Lisa Conti
and was using her EMD training to get further medical history so we could advise the
responding units. Lisa Conti
stayed on with the caller until
the ambulance and engine arrived on scene. I had to hang
up to answer other calls in
River Grove. I do not have a Justina Al-Shamrookh and Stacy O’Connor
partner and appreciated her staying on with the River Grove
resident trying to keep her calm. This was great teamwork by
the Leyden and River Grove 9-1-1 Centers. Justina, Lisa and
Stacy are all assets to the Norcomm team and are always striving to be their best.
Franklin Park Dispatcher Commended
for Exceptional Service
By Donald Nielsen, Executive Director, Norcomm Public
Safety Communications, Inc.
On March 29th, Steve Stelloh received a
call from a woman asking him to check on
her brother who lived in Franklin Park. The
woman was from California, and had not
heard from her brother in several days and
was concerned. Steve entered the call for dispatch, and officers went to the location. Un- Steve Stelloh
fortunately, the elderly gentleman had passed.
Steve called back the sister and explained what happened. He
could have been matter of fact about the situation, but he displayed a kind, caring attitude that made the situation a bit better by his concern. The woman wrote a letter to the Frankllin
Park Police Chief to express her gratitude to Steve and let him
know what an asset he is to the Department. We would also
like to express our thanks to Steve on a job well done.
May2012
A Look At...Metro Roselle
By FF/Paramedic Thomas Lynch,
Roselle Contract Manager
Metro started the Roselle contract January 1st 2010.
Per the Roselle contract, everyone must be cross trained
Medic/Firefighter II, PHTLs, ACLS, PALS certified as
well as CPR
instructors.
We operate in
Region 8 under the Central DuPage
Hospital as
our resource
hospital.
We came a long way with only having two weeks to prepare in orientation for the town of 25,000 residents with
9 districts that include both Cook and DuPage counties along with the Elgin-O’Hare expressway. When
needed, our ambulance also responds to the surrounding towns of Itasca, Bloomingdale, and Hanover Park.
Last year we responded to 2400 EMS calls. I am proud
to mention that all of our Metro medics have displayed
pride, dedication and professionalism and have received recognition on multiple calls for a job well done
on incidents ranging from cardiac arrest saves to stroke,
trauma, or simply providing supportive care to those
frequent flyer patients that we respond to at all hours
of the night. We have six full time Firefighter/Paramedics and two alternates. Mike Agos, Jon Valentine, Adam
Mullendore, Dave Mueller, Chris Fischer and myself,
Thomas Lynch, as the contract manager.
Recently the village purchased a 2010 Ford F560 ambulance that is now our front line response rig with back
up camera so you can see the crew and patient in the
back as well as viewing the rear of the ambulance when
reversing into the hospital bay. Overall we will continue
to represent Metro in the most professional manner and
go above and beyond in serving the Village of Roselle.
March
Most Crew Compliments
North – Duane Harris,
Michael Pandocchi
South – Kristopher
Mallo, Brandon Turner
Michigan – David Donigian
Most Calls
North – Andrew Bogue
South – Zeidan Zeidan
Indiana – Chris Gonzales
(IMC), America Devine
(SAS)
Michigan – Jamar Peterson (Amb)
7
More Safety
Winners!
Congratulations to Deborah Escobar on winning the
Medicar 30 day injury free prize in February, Adrienne Hammerstein for winning the Indiana 30 day
injury free prize in March, Ronald Shirk for winning
the Michigan no at fault crashes in March, and Larry
Pruitt who won the Indiana 90 day no patient injury
prize. The prizes in this current round were IPads and
laptop computers with printers. Medicar has reached
a huge milestone of going 90 days injury free and will
be eligible to raffle off a trip. Please keep up the great
work everyone!
EMS on the Hill Day
Deborah Escobar
with George
Figueroa, Gloria
Cisneros, and
Kenny Griggs
Larry Pruitt with
Ken Sink
The American Ambulance Association (AAA) and the
National Association of EMTs (NAEMT) joined together last
month for EMS on
the Hill Day in our
nation’s capitol. Over
200 EMS professionals from 40 states
attended this year’s
lobby day to educate
Congress about important EMS issues
and legislation. Superior was represented
by Dave Hill, Kim
Godden, Eric Stempien and Chuck Kearns, who met with members of Congress
representing Illinois, Michigan and Indiana to discuss reimbursement issues affecting EMS and health care reform.
The two day event concluded with a reception on Wednesday
evening where House Chief Deputy Whip Congressman Peter
Roskam addressed the group. Cong. Roskam represents Superior’s headquarters in Elmhurst and is a wonderful advocate
for EMS. We look forward to having Cong. Roskam out to
Elmhurst for an ambulance ride along this summer.
Adrienne
Hammerstein
with Ken Sink
Ron Shirk with
Char Teeter and
Andy Brown
EMS Week honors those who deliver care in
EMS. The events held each year are our way
to say thank you for all you do and to celebrate our industry and our accomplishments
at Superior. Thank you for participating in
these events. I look forward to seeing you.
– Dave