Emergency Medical Service (EMS)
The Germantown Fire Department provides emergency medical services to the
people who live in, work in, or travel through Germantown. The EMS
Division is led by EMS Captain John Tickner and EMS Lieutenant Mike
Stockton. There are 21 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) on the
department. Many of these people are also firefighters and department
officers.
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Training
The Germantown Fire Department EMTs are certified by the State of
Wisconsin. In order to become certified, each EMT completes 160 hours of schooling and training.
In addition to this formal training, each new EMT is accompanied by 2 or 3
veteran EMTs on rescue calls. This provides enough real world experience
to advance the EMT's level of skill. Specific EMS drills are conducted
once each month, and EMTs are involved in the remaining weekly fire
drills.
EMTs go through a re-certification
process every 2 years, in accordance with Wisconsin certification
requirements. Many EMTs attend conferences and seminars to improve their
skills and knowledge. They share the program content with the rest of the
EMTs when the return. Several of our EMTs work in the medical field for
their regular job.
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Emergency Scene Responder (ESR) Program
The Germantown Fire Department has recently established the Emergency Scene
Responder (ESR) Program. This program provides very timely emergency medical
attention to those in need. An experienced
and certified EMT utilizes a Fire Department vehicle, equipped with emergency
medical equipment to go directly to the scene of an
emergency from
their home or other location in the village. The ESR goes to the scene
directly, while other EMTs go to the fire station, get the ambulance, then
proceed to the scene.
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Paid
on Call
From 6 pm to 6 am, Monday through Friday, and on all weekends and holidays, emergency
services are provided by paid on call staff. These members are on
call, using a pager to be notified of fire or EMS calls. They are not paid
to be on call, but do get paid when they respond to a fire or EMS call.
The Paid on Call staff is split into 2 companies, each managed by a deputy
chief. Each company is on call every other week, changing on Tuesday
night. POC members are responsible for all calls during their "on
week". In the event members cannot meet that requirement, they
attempt to get coverage from someone from the other company.
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Last
Year's Calls
In the year 2002, the Germantown Fire Department responded to 841 calls. Of these,
592 were for EMS and 242 were for fire/rescue.
Calls in 2002 showed a 3% decreased from 2001 calls. This is the
first time in six years where the number of calls declined. Otherwise, our
calls have risen consistently over the last several years, as we are a growing
village. In addition to calls from our own citizens, we respond to calls
for mutual aid from our surrounding communities.
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