King County Medic One/EMS Firefighters and Medics save lives every day, including mine. Here is my story and how I am thankful that I live in King County.
“Approximately three-and-a-half years ago, I nearly lost my life, but thankful while at work, someone called 9-1-1 because I was unable to do it for myself. Chest pains, shortness of breath, unable to walk. It was deemed as if I was having a potential heart attack and treated as such.
However, firefighters took immediate action by taking vitals, implementing the protocol for someone having a heart attack, they were calming and reassuring I was going to be okay. I knew already I was in good hands, being cared for by the best firefighters and Medics because I am live, work and play in King County.
With a fire station nearby, medics and firefighters rushed to my aid, arriving, treating and transporting me to Overlake Hospital.
Arriving at the hospital, I was still being treated as if I was having a heart attack. After initial evaulations and later tests confirming the diagnosis, it was found that I had a pulmonary emboylis with serious blood clots on both sides of my lungs, initially pushing up against my heart imitating a heart attack.
If life-saving measures didn’t reach me within the next few minutes after this serious onset – I would have easily died on the way to the hospital. They literally saved my life in the field and at the hospital.
Without King County’s highly skilled and specially trained firefighters and Medics, I don’t think I could be here telling you my story. I am truly blessed and thankful that the men and women in the Bellevue Fire Department and at Overlake Hospital saved my life on that day back in January 2010. I would not be here today to be able to share my story or the fact that the best place to survive any type of cardiac arrest or heart event is here in King County.” – Lisa Swenson
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King County’s website states the following:
“Our Medic One/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system provides essential life saving services to the people in Seattle and King County. With an international reputation for innovation and excellence, the King County Medic One/EMS system offers uniform medical care regardless of location, incident circumstances, day of the week, or time of day. It has the highest reported survival rates in the treatment of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients across the nation.
The Medic One/EMS system is funded with a 6-year EMS levy. The current levy rate of $.30 per $1,000 of Assessed Value (AV) was approved by voters of King County in November 2007 and began collection in January 2008. This 30-cent levy rate means that a family of a $400,000 home pays $120 a year for Medic One services.
The current EMS levy expires on December 31, 2013. Therefore, a reauthorization of the EMS levy is necessary to provide a seamless transition into the new levy period. Under state law, the levy can be reauthorized for 6 years, 10 years, or for an indefinite amount of time, at a maximum rate of $.50 per $1,000 AV. Historically, King County has never exceeded $.30 per $1,000 AV, and the average length of each levy has been 6 years.
Prior to being placed on the ballot for voter approval, the Medic One/EMS 2014-2019 Strategic Plan and recommended EMS levy rate must be approved by the councils of all cities over 50,000 in population and the King County Council. There are nine cities over 50,000, including Auburn, Bellevue, Federal Way, Kent, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton, Seattle, and Shoreline. Representatives from each of the nine cities are serving on the EMS Advisory Task Force.
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The EMS Advisory Task Force has a crucial job to and must review all pertinent information related to the EMS Levy prior to bringing it to King County voters on the November ballot. This Task Force will be reviewing information for the 2014-2019 levy. It is a voter-approved EMS Levy according to the RCW (Revised Code of Washington State) 84.52.069.
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Did you know that in 2010, Firefighters responded to more than 163,000 calls and Medics treated more than 47,000 Advanced Life Support (ALS) patients in all of King County?
And,
Did you know that residents living in the King County boundaries are more likely to survive a cardiac arrest event four-to-five times higher than any other any place else?
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Here are some more amazing facts and statistics:
Medical personnel serve over 1.9 Million people in King County and respond every three minutes to medical emergencies and that 1 out of 10 have used the Medic One/EMS system before.
The Medic One/EMS Levy is very vital to our EMS Communities and in order to continue their excellent and life-saving patient care services, they must have this EMS Levy reauthorized by voters. This Levy was originally created in 2006.
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If you are likely to have a heart attack or any other serious medical event in King County, this is the best place to be and here are the reasons why:
[1] Community based programs. The Medic One/EMS Levy has injury prevention programs such as: safe usage of car seats for infants, prevention of falls among the elderly, teaching county-wide Citizen CPR/AED and education to distracted drivers with a special emphasis on drivers under the age of 20-years old.
[2] Regional Medical Control. Oversees all medical care and hold all to an accountable system, writing and approving medical protocols, approving initial EMT and continuing EMS medical education, undertaking new and on-going medical quality improvement activities, initiating disciplinary actions when indicated and working closely with the Central Regional Trauma Council.
[3] Medical Quality Improvement. This is a programmatic, scientific and case-base evaluation to assure excellent patient care for all in King County.
The Levy Funds the following Programs:
[1] Dispatch Centers.
[2] Center for the Evaluation of Emergency Medical Services.
[3] Administration.
[4] Basic Life Support Training (BLS).
Who are the Levy’s Partners?
EMS Agencies (Fire Departments Within the County) :
Bellevue FD / Bothell FD / Eastside Fire and Rescue / Enumclaw FD / Kent Fire Life & Safety / King County Fire Districts #2 (Burien), #20, #27 (Fall City), #44 (Mountainview), #45 (Duvall), #50 (Skykomish) and #51 (Snoqualmie Pass) / King County Medic One (ALS) / Kirkland FD / Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety / Mercer Island FD / North Highline Fire District #11 / Northshore FD #16 / Redmond FD / Seatac City FD / Seattle Fire / Shoreline Fire / Snohomish County Fire District #26 / Snoqualmie Fire & Rescue / Tukwila Fire / Valley Regional Fire Authority / Vashon Island Fire & Rescue / Woodinville Fire and Life Safety.
Who are the Dispatch Centers within King County?
Enumclaw Police Department / NORCOM / Seattle First Alarm Center (Seattle FAC) / Port of Seattle / ValleyComm.
What Hospitals Are Within the Borders inside King County?
Auburn General Hospital / Children’s Hospital / Enumclaw Community Hospital / Evergreen Hospital / Group Health Eastside / Harborview Medical Center / Highline Medical Center / Kindred Hospital / Northwest Hospital / Overlake Hospital Medical Center / Snoqualmie Valley Hospital / St. Francis Community Hospital / Swedish Medical Center – Ballard & First Hill / Swedish – Issaquah & Providence / University of Washington Medical Center / Valley Medical Center / Veteran’s Administration Medical Center (VA Hospital) / Virginia Mason Medical Center.
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For more information regarding this
2014 – 2019
Medic One / EMS Levy
Reauthorization Process
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Helen Chatalas / EMS
401 5th Avenue #1200, Seattle 98104
or
helen.chatalas@kingcounty.gov
206-263-8560 ph / 206-296-4866 fx
OR
Read the “Overview of the Medic One / EMS System for EMS Advisory Task Force by clicking on the link at www.kingcounty.gov.
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Tweets about this Story:
Seattle Fire Chief Dean says, “King County EMS Levy and its accomplishments comes first before anything else.”
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Source: King County.gov
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