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In 1863, with the Civil War raging in the North and Sherman's
infamous march through South Carolina and the burning of Lexington
and Columbia still in the future, battle wounded were taken from the
field by four-wheeled ambulances drawn by two horses.
The crew consisted of a driver and two stretcher bearers who would
load as many as four patients on litters to be transported to field
hospitals near the battle.
In 1963, ambulances were four-wheeled hearses or station wagons
manned by at least one attendant. They were run by the local
hospital, funeral home, volunteer or fire department rescue squads.
These vehicles were no better equipped to deal with an emergency
victim than the stretcher-bearers of the Civil War. During both eras,
patients were placed on stretchers and rushed to the nearest
hospital. The attendants initiated no treatments to the patient.
During the mid 1960's, "Ambulance Drivers" began getting
trained in First Aid and a technique that was just becoming available
to the public, called Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or CPR.
Statistics at the time proved that Americans were dying on our
highways at an alarming rate, and that proper pre-hospital care could
save thousands of lives. It was at this time that the concept of
paramedics was born.
Dr. Eugene Nagel from the University of Miami Medical School held the
first paramedic school at the University of Miami and called these
graduates "Physician Extenders." By March 1967, these
paramedics were transmitting heart rhythms to Jackson Memorial
Hospital, with a unit that weighed a combined 54 pounds.
The first actual volunteer rescue squad that provided first aid was
established in Roanoke, Virginia in 1928, but it wasn't until 1969
that a volunteer squad received the training and equipment to
function as paramedics. In 1969, North Carolina began the first
volunteer paramedic rescue squad.
In 1967, Dr. Michael Criley and Dr. James Lewis commenced a pilot
program in Los Angeles, California, at Harbor General Hospital, that
consisted of eighteen firefighters, twelve from Los Angeles County
Fire Department and six from Los Angeles City Fire Department.
In Los Angeles on September 12, 1969, the firefighters began an
intensive 180 hours of training that included classroom, laboratory
and chemical instruction, under the tutelage of C.C.U. Nurse Carol Bebout.
By December 1969, they were ready to go; however, they had no legal
authority. Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors' Kenny Hahn (who
became known as the "Father" of the Paramedic Program)
pushed legislation through the Board and presented it to State
Senator James Wedworth and State Assemblyman Larry Townsend. Both the
house and the senate approved legislation that gave legal authority
for paramedics to perform, and on July 14, 1970, Governor Ronald
Reagan signed the Wedworth-Townsend Act into law. Los Angeles County
and City Paramedics were on the go.
Through this and other successful programs in Cincinnati, Ohio, and
Jacksonville, Florida, it was determined that with proper training,
paramedics could perform the same treatment that physicians would
administer if they were on the scene.
Lexington County has seen many changes in pre-hospital emergency
care. Throughout the county, ambulance service used to be provided by
the local funeral homes.
In 1966, Caughman-Harman funeral home donated a Dodge Ambulance-wagon
to be used by the Chapin Volunteer Fire Department as an ambulance
and rescue vehicle.
During the late 1960's, Lexington County contracted with Columbia
Ambulance Service to provide emergency transport. Two ambulances were
stationed in the county in Swansea and West Columbia. The units
transported patients to the Columbia Hospital.
In addition, the Pelion Rescue Squad was established in 1968 and
began using a Ford Ambulance-wagon also donated by Caughman-Harman
funeral home. The volunteer squad provided Basic and Advanced Life
Support services until it disbanded 32 years later in early 2000.
In the mid 1970's, the Batesburg Rescue Squad was formed with a
hearse donated by Milton Shealy's Funeral Home. This entirely
volunteer unit continues to provide paramedic service to the
citizen's of the county.
For a while, Carolina Ambulance Service provided service until in
1973, the county contracted Paramed, Inc. to manage the ambulances
and establish a paramedic service.
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On Tuesday, January 1, 1974, at 9:00 in the morning, Paramed turned
over operations to the county and Lexington County Ambulance Service
was established. Initially, it was staffed with 16 people - two
shifts of eight including two supervisors.
The first employees were James "Bunny" Ard, Barry
Ballington, Bobby Bernard, John Bolton, Marvin Boyd, Hugh Brannon,
Phil Carey, Steve Carey, Jon Coleman, James "Jimmy" Greene,
Neils Hanson, Ray Kannaday, Ronnie Kitchens, Oneil "Buzz"
Miller, Don Simmons and Robert "Buzz" Spake.
Each shift worked 24 hours shifts and were off for 24 hours. Four
units responded from substations in Batesburg, Swansea, West Columbia
and Irmo.
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The original substations were located beside the Batesburg Health
Center at 231 West Church Street, Swansea Health Center, the 498th
MAST terminal at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (nicknamed
"Metro Unit") and the old Irmo Fire Station on St. Andrews Road.
On Feb. 17th 1974, EMTs Jimmy Greene and Ray Kannaday were attributed
with resuscitating a local physician.
On June 27th, 1974, John Andrews, Hugh Brannon, Phil Carey, Mike
Catoe, Jon Coleman, James "Jimmy" Greene, Neils Hanson, and
Don Simmons of Lexington County Ambulance Service, graduated in the
first group of Advanced EMTs or paramedics, as they are known today.
By contrast the first two New York City Paramedic units did not go
into service until July 7, 1975, at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center.
By the early 1990's, Lexington County EMS had grown to include 51
employees working three 24-hour shifts. They were headed by the EMS
Coordinator and three Shift Supervisors. Seven units were dispatched
by 911 on more than 13,000 calls a year from substations in
Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia, Irmo, Chapin, Batesburg and Swansea.
Batesburg and Pelion Rescue Squads responded to more than 1200 calls.
In 1992, Council approved an eighth unit for the Boiling Springs area
south of Gilbert.
In 1993, a ninth unit was added in the Hollow Creek area along the
southern shore of Lake Murray west of the Town of Lexington.
In 2000, a tenth unit was added in the Pelion community to continue
service formerly provided by the Pelion Rescue Squad.
On June 17, 2003, all personnel were converted from 24/48 or 12-hour
shifts to a uniform 12-hour day or night shift.
Today, Lexington County EMS is composed of over 100 full and
part-time employees working 12-hour shifts. The staff includes the
EMS Coordinator, Training Officer, four Shift Supervisors, Logistics
Officer and an Administrative Assistant. The units are staffed with
Senior Paramedics, Paramedics, EMT-Intermediates or Emergency Medical Technicians.
Ten units are available throughout a 24-hour day, with up to 4
12-hour peak-time units available during the busiest times of the
day. In addition, personnel in three Quick Response Vehicles or QRV's
and Fire Department Rescue vehicles provide needed first response and
Automated External Defibrillator capability when Ambulances are far
from the scene. Units are dispatched to over 21,000 responses by a
911 computer-aided-dispatch center using Automatic Vehicle Locators
and staffed by Emergency Medical Dispatchers.
Personnel are trained to provide oxygen, initiate IV therapy,
administer medications, interpret EKG's, defibrillate, cardiovert,
perform pulse oximetry, assess patients, and perform all aspects of pre-hospital
emergency care.
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