Moscow EMS, fire services up to par, officials say

Palouse Area Care and Transport EMS representatives have voiced concerns at the past three Moscow City Council meetings, including at Monday night’s session, regarding the Moscow Volunteer Fire Department’s responsiveness to calls.

“EMS services here in Moscow seems to be a very politically and emotionally charged subject, and it is my hope that moving forward we can open up some dialogue,” Troy Zakariasen, owner of private, Moscow-based PACT EMS, said at Monday night’s meeting.

He said his company would like to work alongside the MVFD.

MVFD EMS Division Chief Debby Carscallen provided an overview of the volunteer department’s operations and response times to the council Monday night in front of a packed council chambers filled mostly with MVFD volunteers and rural Latah County first responders.

Carscallen said the department has heard concerns about its abilities and whether or not it is failing.

“We are not (failing),” she said. “We have very dedicated volunteers who are very passionate about what they do. We are not perfect but we certainly are looking and trying to do better and that is to provide the best service for our community.”

Average MVFD fire engine response times to calls were 7 minutes, 17 seconds in 2017; 7 minutes, 40 seconds in 2018; and 7 minutes, 21 seconds in 2019.

Average Medical vehicle response times were 8 minutes, 21 seconds in 2017; 8 minutes, 38 seconds in 2018; and 9 minutes, 23 seconds in 2019.

Ambulance response times were 13 minutes, 29 seconds in 2017; 13 minutes, 30 seconds in 2018; and 15 minutes, 12 seconds in 2019.

All three categories included transfers, medical rendezvous and rural fire district responses. The department averages 99 medical rendezvous, 163 transfers and 1,700 EMS calls annually.

Carscallen said the department and the state of Idaho have not adopted a standard for response times, but the MVFD uses the National Fire Protection Association as a benchmark.

She said if an agency adopts the NFPA guidelines, all of its rules must be followed.

For a volunteer agency like Moscow, all of the NFPA requirements are not attainable, said Carscallen, noting the astronomical training hours as an example.

“It’s a benchmark for us to continue to shoot for,” said MVFD Chief Brian Nickerson.

Nickerson said the MVFD is one of the best volunteer organizations out there.

“We’re the busiest volunteer fire department in Idaho,” he said.

City Supervisor Gary Riedner said he and Nickerson have talked about response times since the day Nickerson became chief.

“The ultimate goal here is not necessarily meeting an artificial NFPA standard,” Riedner said. “The goal is to provide the best basic care possible and deliver people to the hospital in as good as shape as they can get, and I think you’ve heard from Dr. (Nicholas) Garrett that that goal is being achieved.”

Councilor Brandy Sullivan said she agreed.

“Sometimes response time, though, is what’s going to make the difference between them arriving in the hospital in good condition or not, so I think that having an understanding of exactly what your response time is is just important,” Sullivan said.

Dr. Nicholas Garrett, trauma director at Gritman Medical Center and medical director for Moscow Ambulance Company and several other agencies in Latah County, read a letter from Moscow Emergency Physicians, a group of emergency physicians that provide 24-hour coverage to Gritman’s emergency department, to the city council that supported and defended Moscow Ambulance with regards to its “preparedness, professionalism and dedication to our community.”

“As a professional organization of physicians, we have never doubted the capability, responsiveness or professionalism of the dedicated volunteers,” Garrett read.

“The Moscow Ambulance Company has never given us any reason to doubt their capabilities and we are continually impressed with their responsiveness and patient-centered focus.”

After reading his letter, Garrett said he has witnessed multiple ambulance companies — mostly for-profit or not-for-profit companies that had paid employees — during his career, which included time on the East Coast.

“I can tell you that the service that the Moscow Ambulance Company — and the greater agencies that are in this room represented — is really second to none … they can compete nationally,” Garrett said.

Councilor Maureen Laflin asked Carscallen if there have been times the MVFD did not have enough paramedics or emergency medical technicians on staff. There are currently 46 EMTs and 15 paramedics at the MVFD.

Carscallen said the department has never missed a call but has asked for mutual aid from Pullman during the 2015 John Lee shooting and a head-on collision involving serious injuries near Palouse Mall.

Carscallen said the department has mutual aid agreements with the Pullman Fire Department and rural Latah County fire and EMS agencies.

Moscow Mayor Bill Lambert said he has not heard a complaint from the Latah County sheriff, Moscow police chief, Idaho State Police or Gritman Medical Center about the MVFD’s work.

“I think that is a compliment to everybody that’s a first responder in this room,” he said.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email to gcabeza@dnews.com.