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"With the help of Pulsara, some young patients can be safely taken directly from the scene to behavioral health facilities"
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Aaron Gilkey
MEMS is proud to announce that we are the second EMS service in Arkansas recognized as Pediatric Ready!
The National Prehospital Pediatric Readiness Project (PPRP) is the leading joint initiative to improve prehospital care for acutely ill and injured children across the United States. The PPRP is led by the federal Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program with support from more than 30 national organizations, federal partners, and experts. The PPRP empowers EMS and fire-rescue agencies to become “pediatric ready” or prepared to provide high-quality care for children in accordance with national recommendations.
Why improve prehospital pediatric care?
Children have unique characteristics that require specific care, especially in emergencies. Pediatric incidents account for approximately 10% of all prehospital calls. The limited frequency of pediatric interactions results in clinicians being less familiar with – and often less confident in – providing pediatric care. Being “pediatric ready” can reduce anxiety and increase confidence for EMS clinicians.
We will proudly display our recognition stickers on every ambulance!
Aaron Gilkey
At 12:00 PM on January 14, 2024, Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) transitioned into purple status operations. This decision was made in anticipation of the upcoming winter weather, which was expected to have a great impact on the service area.
Purple status is initiated in several circumstances, most often during significant weather events such as snow and ice, enacting policies that ensure the response system is staffed to respond to an influx of calls that may develop due to unfavorable conditions.
Greg Thompson
Before the storms of Friday, MEMS was already in Yellow Status. Yellow is an alert position where we begin planning an event based on a forecast or intel. At approximately 2:30, the storm first touched down, staying on the ground for an extended time, crossing much of the MEMS area of responsibility. For this reason, we moved to Red Status, which is an "all-hands-on-deck" recall.
As the storm lifted, we began to respond, and several neighboring agencies reached out and offered mutual aid to us. Unsure of the number of patients we had, we requested additional units from three other agencies.
With any disaster, the early information can be wildly inaccurate. For example, one news outlet reported 600 injuries, with the police department providing additional transportation because EMS was stretched thin; this was inaccurate.
There was one unfortunate death in North Little Rock; however, the overall number of other injuries for a storm this size was less than what would be expected. Nevertheless, the widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure is significant. As of this morning, we know of four MEMS staff whose homes have suffered damage but no personal injuries. MEMS had one station receive damage, and one ambulance and one supervisor truck located in Sherwood also received damage.
Today we continue to ensure that the public has their needs met as we begin the recovery process. We also work to ensure that the MEMS family who has been affected has their needs met. To the MEMS family, if you need anything we may not be aware of, please don't hesitate to ask for assistance; we are in this together!
Greg Thompson
Executive Director, MEMS
