By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
Canaan Valley Resort has become a mutual aid partner with Tucker County EMS. According to Tucker County EMS Director Amanda Simmons, the Canaan Valley State Park Resort crew are a non-ambulatory service, whose main function is to cover the Ski Slopes and Resort.
“The new Station 17 in Canaan has been phenomenal to work with,” Simmons said. “I’ve absolutely loved Kurt Gainer bringing in that extra mutual aid. It will help out the County so much.”
Station 17 at Canaan Valley State Park Resort was founded by Randolph County EMS Director Kurt Gainer. Gainer is the lead for the medical team for the Ski Resort at Canaan Valley State Park, Simmons said.
“When Kurt came in three years ago, he noticed there was a need,” Simmons said. “He noted that whenever we’re not at work and we don’t have our bags and not under medical command, you can do nothing. They don’t have that capability to work under an agency.”
Gainer approached the State, Simmons said, and informed the State that his crew did not want an ambulance or full EMS capabilities. He only requested to be a small, mostly self-sufficient entity that could serve the Park and work in conjunction with Tucker County as mutual aid.
“…we just want to be a little entity here where we can use our skills, BLS (Basic Life Support), not ALS (Advanced Life Support), just BLS, where we can have just a little Go Bag we can use to medicate, have a medical director over us, so that we’re not running rogue and they came to me and said would you allow us to come into the County and be mutual aid for you?” Simmons said.
Simmons equated bringing in Canaan Valley Station 17 to bringing in a CERT Team to help with mutual aid. The Station will never have an ambulance stationed there, according to Simmons and the crew will render aid until an ambulance arrives.
“They are a non-ambulatory service. They do not transport,” Simmons said. “The only thing that they do is treat in place.”
Simmons said the Station also covers the Ski Resort as well as the ski area. The crew has already had to report to a cardiac event at the cabins, Simmons said, and were able to provide aspirin and nitro until ambulance crews arrived.
“God forbid, we had a cardiac up there two weeks ago, at the cabins,” Simmons said. “They ran right over to the cabins to help out with said individual until we got on scene. Nitro, aspirin had already been given, it was wonderful. They already have onboard things, immediately, that could be life saving in the end.”
Simmons said that with the crew already on scene, by the time her ambulance crews arrive, they already have an assessment and know if they need to transport, need a helicopter and have all the pertinent facts in hand as soon as they arrive.
As an Agency within the State of West Virginia, should a Mass Casualty Incident occur in Canaan Valley, Tucker County can call on Station 17 for assistance. Simmons said that the Station is on a roster and are able to ride on the County trucks with crews. However, as soon as they get on the trucks, they become Tucker County crews during that time, according to Simmons. In the event of an MCI, such as a fire in a hotel in the town of Canaan Valley, the Station could be contacted to recruit extra personnel to assist, Simmons said.
“Its become a great team, great working relationship there,” Simmons said. “I’m glad to have them there. Its been wonderful.”
