1996_05 Insight May 1996

              In Focus
Medical pros deal with life and death
I On-scene expertise
of EMTs can make a
big difference
by Jennifer Franklin
and Candace Cline
Staff Writers
ailed loi hack up
" lhc medical team al lhc scene ad-
ninisicred CPR
American Ambulance responds to
Between calls as ar
•meraencv calls like this ever) dav
Die company employs sin > people.
ejected Irom their cars
rom ollicc stall lo lliehi paramedics.
Banta never planned
t owns 35 amhulanees that cost S5tl
medical profession  1
in hour io maintain. American also
. woik 111 law ent'orcem
.perau-s a helicopter unit called
me Ins Jccivc in a.lii
Skylifc and .1 Special rniuma Ad-
justice.
anccd Rescue program < STAR 1
""..ilia is interested
Insight photo by Candace Cline
Between calls as an EMT in Fresno County. Jarrod Banta restocks supplies at a local hospital.
hv police and American to refer In |i\paiklii!gonthai ideology. Amen
someone who is mcniallv unstable. can has thecap.'ihilitv to provide care
When Neinelh and Bank- talked to as soon as ihe inches arrive on scene
the man. lie said he did not hear STAR rescue operations is an e\
voices, bin he did hear thoughts. He ample
He   has   worked   as   .<
rgical I' \   .ii \ \H   since
flight paramedic for the California
Required Training Highway Patrol
Each ambulance is slatted with an i'aramcdic  Inn Johnson also as-
EMT and a paramedic pires to work in law enforcement.
Janod Banta. 2s. is a memtvi ol "I want to do something morcpro-
the S I AR rescue leam As an l-.MT. active, noi reactive.'' said'johnson.
Haiila is name.! in Basic Lite Support •      1 le said lie wants lo slop drunk dnv -
(BI.Si. which is different from a ers before thev intl icl hami instead of
paramedic's training in Advanced treating the results
Life Support I \l S) Johnson. 25. has worked for Ameri-
BLS includes taking vital sieiis. can lot more than 5 ye.it>. During lhal
administering oxygen and oral glu- time he has delivered 2<> babies and
heart monitor suicide Heals., bronchi.. cIuuciHv
AI.S naming allow s paramedic s i„ dead man to ihe hospital, a week later
read electrocardiogram  (KKGi he saw him walk out
rhythms, administer medicines and 'I-like heme able to be with the
begin intravenous medication Para- public and make a difference.** said
inches are named at the highest level Johnson   To give someone a second
ol pie hospital cue chance al life is rewarding."
Banta has worked lot  Vmerican Nemeih is a siudent al California
Ambulance lot 2 1/2 vears He said State University. Krcsno.Hc has
he has learned something new eveiv woikedioi -\niencaii since he was I"
Spoke Ol a fantasy  life wiih a local
news anchor cued .
The police did not declare him    appro-
Para-niedicincisarelaiivelv new field
Daniel Freeman Hospital in the D>s An
para-medicine in the early 70s.
Ii grew from the question,
scoop and run ' Let's see what
a,.ave.ac-oM.llH.pal,enls|v.vveek .1
Senous iniiiriesan.l illnesses make up
about 25 ivrcem ofthose pattents v;
All n.aio. trauma eases in Iresno m
lo \MC. said Ion. Slokel. VMC's        Stewari'sduticsincliKleevalualing
"huerms ol cinc.gcm v  depart l... ncu.osmgical piohlen.s
meuis. VMC has an excellent icpula According lo Stewart. R \ v prav
e on scene      ,;„„ _„„„„,. u..u |llllL. |1llspiials around Ik c medu inemi a diflerenl lev el lhaii
.VMC accepts   siv emergency procedures, such as inserting a line
■mhersres      modicul residents everv vear undei the collai hone to moniloi a
Ail" hul '-|IK'"        While completing llieii residency, patient's heart
•die lappelled     s|ll|,|>ed Iocs to multiple stab wounds also peiloruis vcnliicnlosioinvs   He
J began admin-        More than 120 cases come through .lulls ., hole into ihe patient's skull.
the Ll<
Bel
These are 12 hour shifts v
and Clovis
Banta was dispatched
ie STAR rescue
I "metro simts      Typical night on the job
lis within Fresno       In Ins ? vear. at American, he has
jin
calls
u.ltiple During ihe same shift vv hen the) trie
ni involving a diesel to resuscitate the heart-attack victin
on one of his first calls Nemeih ...id Bar.le vv ere called about    With 3 years experience as an EMT in Fresno County, Shorin Nemeth
Nine people had been •> possible "5150." Ihe term is used    works shifts of between 12 and 24 hours.
Problems of the uninsured
Predators, from page 3
The group submitted a formal pe- interested in changing their ways." the farmer.
tilion to the U.S. Department of Aj! Skeelesaid Vasquez raises cattle and grow "They come down off these moun
riculturc d'SDAi to revise ADC's "| Predators" | nuiiilx-rs have been grapes in the foothills of eastern tains." Vasquez said     Ihev ..ren
policies. II the group is noi satisfied reduced to a small proportion of their Iresno Count) on his 26-acrc ranch scared »l people at all. We've had m
with the outcome of recent meetings historical levels, and we're making a ducks, turkeys ami chickens ..i
with the I'SDA. Perrine said Defend continent-wide effort lo bring those Battle between man and nature lacked'
crs of Wildlife will use legal action hack up and restore the integrity of liven with a gun bv  his side. Since l'K>*. Vasquez estimates tha
ADC's McDonald maintains thai ihe natural food web.'' he said. Vasquez reels powerless over the coyotes have killed 5(1 ducks, aboi
ihe program's emphasis on lethal Bui foi Hank Vasquez. predators sheer numbers of predators lhal have 40 chickens and six wild turkeys
methods is because ol the timing of seem to be winning the battle againsi attacked his newborn calves and dam Hehasncvei asked the count* nap
when thev are called in, 	
"Many  tun
ranchers in thc
ing with beginners." McDonald said Channel 24 sports anchor. Quinlan is not atohe in his cxpedi call from Fresno Slale asking
"By the time ADC is called in. I his is Swearengm's first vear shar- lions into baseball's unexpected wanted to do the broadcasts for radio
even thing's been tried. They've tried ing the radio waves with Quinlan. Linda, his wife ol 15 years, cxperi- station KMJ 5MI \\l  He lumped at
everv non leihaliiicihodili.iivouc.il "This is like Radio 101 forme." enced first hand the odd.lies ol the the opportunity
and the killing continues." Swearengirt said -He's got a great minor leagues and uncertainly ol
ADC officials also maintain thai lhc baseball mind. If someone iclls him where her next home would he. One big family
Quinlan, from page 7
"I want the broadcasts
under the dim glo
gathers the cats
checks his gun an.
lumped lhc fence and look ihem all
We woke up in Ihe morning and saw
a lot ol feathers hut no ducks"'
.en pea
als each week arc
ndle the i
nd
odlalko
ighl in with the
program's percentage ol predator kills a story, he remembers it the first
is small 4ii comparison fn wildlife's nine 8aseba//'s uncertainties
total population. Quinlan said his love for baseball Linda was very understanding.
The total ADC lake in any species allows him lo remember man) sio- so we we're able to make all these
has no effect on overall population." ries. irips and move everv 2 or 3 vears."'
McDonald said.   "Wc are not in the "Mv know ledge ol ihe game came Quinlan said. "We used lo r'ciiieiii-
species-elimination business  If it's from mv friend Monte Moore, who. her how many vears we were mat
one coyote ihai's doing the killing, announced lor 25 years for the A's and riedb) Me number of baseball sea-
then il's one coyote that we'll take." Royals, and all the minor league man- sons and where I happened to be
Skeele disagrees. agcrs I worked vv ith over the years." those first S years."
"This isa federal program nol very he said In 1994. Quinlan received a phone
"ICoach Bennett | is the icon of the
college game. I love working with the
university." Quinlan said 'Icouldnl
pass that up."
"He really cares about the school.
and we're luckv lo have him His
schtick is great, and he's iu» to work
We're just hav
up of coffee " loins scrotum
The post-game show concluded at \k was taken to the open
0:30 p.m. The stadium lights died because the bullet had tra
I and only a few  si
uned in the press box John Quinli
is ol ihem. already prepa
his abdoi
The nai
.Mil.
ihe
.1 Mi.,
VA.,1
ivith.'
ml
rdless oi h.s knowledge
about the game, lohn Quinlan tries
"One ol the best parts of ilu
a-'re all one big family.'' Quinlan doctor.
aid. lalerlhe
As he gol up l«> leave, he look one hitnscll in a til ol d
lore look out into the darkness. Ik- "Just another h;
niilcd emergency denartm
shot you there?" he asked a
admitted he I.
ongratulations to the Fresno State ad team for winning the
regional student advertising competition. They'll be representitig
Northern California at the American Advertising Competition's
National Student Advertising Competition in San Diego.
'$*&*
man
2 SUow'mqs
v     jpm and 7pm   j