Riverside First Responders? 30th Anniversary

Saturday, May 12, 2012, the Riverside First Responders will recognize their 30th anniversary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Riverside fire station with an open house. The open house events will include the Washington County K-9 unit, UIHC Air Care, area ambulance providers, a rescue demonstration by the Riverside Fire Department, and blood pressure clinic. Refreshments will be provided.

In 1981, a federal program and grant was initiated by President Ronald Regan for Critical Incident Management (CIM). Medical directors and ambulance services expressed the need for a quicker response to rural communities 10?15 minutes away in need of emergency services. Karl Jones of Washington was working with the ambulance service at this time. He learned of this program and approached Jim Rose, Riverside?s fire chief. ?All I need to know is: if there is an interest and backing in the community of Riverside and to find 10-15 volunteers willing to make this program come about.?

The classes began in September of 1981. Two nights a week, classes were taught on the basic knowledge of general anatomy, diagnostic vital signs, airway, CPR, circulation, medical emergencies, bleeding, soft tissue, bone and muscle injuries, childbirth, environmental exposures in hot, cold and hazardous environments, injuries, casualties, stabilization, triage and extrication. The classes taught how to perform initial assessments, gathering history, and communications. Signs and symptoms were repeatedly discussed, especially nausea, vomiting and bleeding. One member of our group was ?crazed? by these facts.

A special council meeting was held on Feb. 16, 1982, by Mayor Robert Schneider Sr., with council persons Dale Rath, Gale Hunt, Ron Popham, Steve Miller and Earl Riggan; JoAnne Waldschmidt was city clerk. Representing the fire department were Delbert Flynn, Kevin Kiene, Jim Rose, Greg Sojka, Bill Halleran, Duane Schnoebelen, and Pat Latta. A discussion was held on the CIM courses for the firemen. A motion was made by Miller and seconded by Popham to approve $300 for the firemen to take the CIM course and that the city would be reimbursed two-thirds of the cost. All voted aye, and the motion carried.

Written, oral, and hands-on testing of skills was given by the Iowa State Board of Emergency Medical Services. By March 2 of 1982, all volunteers were certified by the EMS Board. In just over a month, the responders had their first call with only a brown paper bag containing a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, gauzes, bandages, and assorted tapes.

Emergency deliveries were touched on briefly during the child birth classes. The chance of an unexpected delivery of a baby is 1 - 9,999. But ... in August, just five months after becoming certified first responders, a baby girl was delivered in the front seat of a car. What an excitement, experience and support the Riverside community received!

For emergency calls, the responders were notified by a ?phone tree.? The Washington County Safety Center called a contact person who then called a responder with the briefest of information of name, location, and situation. The responder would then take their personal vehicle, assess the situation, and do basic care. A fire truck would arrive with a radio contact and our ?brown paper bag.? We got our own vehicle around 1983-84 which was called the ?quick attack? truck, or ?163.?

During and after the training, we went door to door in the community to enlighten them on the volunteer quick, or first responder, service we would provide in the five to six minute window before an ambulance would arrive. The response from Riverside was overwhelming with donations and support. Cleo ?Poopey? Burich (?a big man with a big heart!?) was one of our biggest supporters by contacting rural residents. In a short time an emergency contact phone number was in play: 648-2222. The responders gave of their time to teach CPR and its re-certification, basic first aid and awareness to the schools, teachers, day care providers, local clubs and the Boy and Girl Scouts. Vials of Life were distributed, especially to the senior citizens? center, which contained valuable and vital medical history and treatment.

In the following months and years, a tower was erected for updating and improving communications, which then provided pagers. In 1993, the 911 signs were in place to help simplify location. The responders continue today with continuing education classes and CPR and defib re-certification. Being a first responder in a small community such as ours makes a difference!

So ... take pride in Riverside and join us Saturday to take in our history, accomplishments, and progress.