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The City of Santa Monica provides its citizens the services of six highly trained paramedic units. Upon the inception of the program in 1973, our goal has been to provide emergency medical treatment to all our citizens within four minutes of receiving the call for help. Over the past three years we have experienced an annual increase in the number of requests for paramedic services. It has come to our attention that many of our responses are not of a life threatening emergency and would be better serviced through other medical attention.
This information can answer most of your questions and leave the judgment to you on when you want to call and when you need to call for emergency medical aid.
WHEN TO CALL SANTA MONICA FIRE PARAMEDICS
When a medical problem threatens a person's life, that is an emergency, and it's critical that you call for help. Examples of medical problems that endanger life are:
- Heart attack symptoms
(chest pain or pressure; cool, clammy skin, and/or nausea)
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of consciousness (fainting spells)
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Spinal, head, or neck injuries
- Major burns
These are the types of emergencies our paramedics are trained to handle, and their intervention can save lives. These types of emergencies require the immediate attention of trained personnel, so do not hesitate to call the paramedics in any of these instances. Whenever the Santa Monica Fire paramedics transport, the recipient is billed for the service.
WHEN NOT TO CALL A SANTA MONICA FIRE PARAMEDIC
Since the inception of the paramedics in 1973, the number of requests for their services have
increased dramatically. Many of these calls are life threatening emergencies as those described above; others, however, are medical problems that could have been taken care of as well by traveling to the nearest emergency hospital. These problems include minor fractures such as fingers and toes, minor cuts and bruises, and nose bleeds. For these problems, the paramedics can do very little for an individual before reaching the hospital. At the same time, Santa Monica's paramedic unit is out of service and may not be able to respond to a real emergency.
In situations that do not endanger life but do require prompt medical treatment, it is best to get the victim to the nearest emergency hospital for care.
WHERE TO CALL
Call the Santa Monica Fire Department emergency number 9-1-1. Our emergency service provides paramedic service to all people within in the City of Santa Monica. When you call, be sure to give the dispatcher accurate information. You should be able to answer the following questions:
- WHERE IS THE PATIENT?
The dispatcher must know where to send help, including the nearest cross street, apartment number and exact address.
- WHAT IS YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER?
This is to help the dispatcher trace your call when additional information is required.
- WHAT KIND OF EMERGENCY IS IT?
This will tell us what level of help we need to send.
- HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED?
If several people are sick or injured, we need to know, so we can send additional resources.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- The closest emergency hospitals to the residents in the City of Santa Monica are
Saint John's Hospital and
Santa Monica Hospital.
- Enroll in CPR instruction class. CPR stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, which can save a life in the critical 4-6 minutes before the paramedics arrive. The American Red Cross (394-3773) and the Santa Monica Citizens CPR Committee (451-LIFE) offer weekly classes.
 ICE
Your Cell Phone
In Case
of Emergency: It could save your life and
notify loved ones.
If you
can’t tell paramedics who you are, your cell
phone can help emergency responders and
healthcare workers to identify you and
notify your loved ones.
Just
program your cell phone’s telephone book
with the codeword “ICE” (In Case of
Emergency):
1. Open
your cell phone telephone book to create a
new entry. Instead of entering the name of a
person, enter the word “ICE”.
2. Enter
the phone number of the person you would
want contacted in an emergency. To list
multiple contacts, name the entries ICE1,
ICE2, and so on.
The
Santa Monica Fire Department offers these Flu
Season Tips
to help Protect Yourself, Your Family & Your
Co-Workers.
The “flu”, known as influenza,
is caused by a virus that spreads from person-to
person. The flu is easily
transmitted by coughing or sneezing from
infected
persons. Every time
someone coughs or sneezes they send germs into
the air
at speeds faster
than 100mph.
Sometimes people may become infected by
touching something with flu viruses on it and
then touching their mouth or nose.
Most
healthy adults may be able to infect others
beginning 1 day before
symptoms develop and
up to 5 days after becoming sick. That
means that you
may be
able to pass on the flu to someone else before
you know you are sick,
as well as while you are sick.
However, there are
ways you can help prevent the spread of the flu
and colds in
the workplace and at home.
Preventing the Flu: Get Vaccinated
The single best way to prevent the flu is to get
a flu vaccination each fall. There are two types
of vaccines: the "flu shot" – approved for use
in people 6 months of age and older, and the
nasal spray type flu vaccine – for use in
healthy people 5 years to 49 years of age who
are not pregnant. Talk to your health care
provider about getting the flu vaccine.
In addition to the vaccine, the
following actions can help decrease the spread
of colds and flu this season.
1. Wash
your hands –
this simple measure is one of
your best defenses!
Make sure you are washing
correctly –
Cover hands with warm
water & soap—rub hands vigorously together &
scrub all surfaces—wash for at least 20 seconds—
it’s the soap combined with scrubbing action
that helps dislodge & remove germs. An easy way
to remind yourself how long you need to wash is
to sing the Happy Birthday song to yourself.
If you can’t wash your hands then
consider using a hand sanitizer (alcohol hand
gel). Be sure to keep these products out of the
reach of children.
2. Always
cover your mouth and nose
when you cough or sneeze.
Avoid touching your mouth, nose,
or eyes with unwashed hands. Dispose of
used tissues in a bag or lined
wastebasket. Wipe common area surfaces with
disinfectant wipes when possible. Telephones,
handrails, doorknobs, and
keyboards are notorious for germs and influenza
virus can survive on surfaces
for several hours. Also, try to
avoid close contact with people who are sick and
stay home if you are sick!
Do I have the flu?
Many people use the term “the
flu” to describe cold symptoms and other types
of illnesses. In reality, the flu is a
contagious respiratory illness caused by
influenza viruses. About 5 -20% of the
population in the U.S. gets the flu each year.
More
than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu
complications each season and about 36,000
people die from flu. Some people, such as older
people, young children, and people with certain
health conditions, are at high risk for serious
flu complications.
What are the signs and symptoms
of influenza?
·
Abrupt
onset of fever
·
Headache
·
Extreme
tiredness
·
Sore
throat
·
Dry
cough
·
Runny
or stuffy nose
·
Muscle
aches
Stomach
symptoms like nausea, vomiting & diarrhea are
more common in children than adults. Also
remember that antibiotics are not effective in
treating viral infections like colds & flu. In
fact, overuse of antibiotics can cause bacteria
to become resistant to treatment!
For further information on the flu visit
www.cdc.gov
This page was last modified on
03/20/2008
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