SOUTHWICK – Since becoming an Advanced Life Support (ALS) Department last July, the Southwick Fire Department has improved the quality of care for Southwick residents and slightly cut costs, according to Southwick Fire Chief Russ Anderson

Anderson explained that prior to July, the fire department only offered basic life support, which limited the type of care and the speed paramedics could provide to Southwick citizens. “Southwick was always a Basic Life Support, so when we do emergency medical dispatch the dispatchers go through a process to determine if an issue is BLS or ALS,” he said, “So in the past if it was an ALS issue, we had to call Westfield or Agawam to intercept us.”

Anderson added that on top of the time it could take when being intercepted by Agawam or Westfield, they also had to pay a $275 fee  to the responding ALS department. Because Southwick has added full time ALS service during the day, they only have to pay that fee for night calls. He said the department has saved roughly $20,000 in its first six months with the addition of the day service.

In addition to speedier care, Anderson said that paramedics can also get started on emergency room procedures before they get to the hospital.

“It basically starts a lot of procedures that would happen in the emergency room out in the field, whether it’s monitoring your heart or [administering] certain drugs, you’re starting the process much earlier,” he said.

One of the biggest uses for ALS the department has seen so far is for stemis. Deputy Chief Richard Stefanowicz said that a stemi is a significant heart attack, and since Southwcik has become an ALS department, they have heart monitors to determine the severity of the stemi.

“A stemi is a true cardiac emergency, it’s a heart attack. Early recognition and intervention is key because that determines that a patient that could be having a significant cardiac event get to Baystate,” he said.

Stefanowicz added that the transition to an ALS department has been particularly beneficial because the ratio for ALS to BLS emergencies has shifted to about 70 to 30.

Anderson said that while the first six months have gone smoothly, the department still has goals to meet in its expansion to ALS treatment. He said, “Our goal right now is to provide the service 24 hours a day, seven days a week after three years. We started off with daytime coverage so far but we utilize Westfield and Agawam still for evening hours.”

Anderson said that the goal for the foreseeable future is to increase staffing at the department so they can run the advanced services all the time. Stefanowicz added that they are also in the process of equipping the ambulances.

“The second part of that and the ultimate goal would be to equip both of our ambulances at the paramedic level,” Stefanowicz said.

While the department has cut costs, Anderson said that the level of care they provide is much more important than the financial savings.

“The town is investing a lot but it’s really about the quality of service and about the timing that residents can receive the care,” he said.
Stefanowicz said the department is thankful for the support they have received throughout the transition process and what they have been able to accomplish because of the support. He said, “I want to reinforce that this wouldn’t have happened without the support of the selectmen and the town, it’s been ongoing for three or four years. And so far, we have seen a difference in what we can do.”