Illinois Ambulance Service Shut Down after Inspection

The Chestnut Emergency Medical Service was shut down Tuesday after EMS inspectors from Springfield's St. John's Hospital found scores of violations involving equipment and documentation.

Medical runs in the Chestnut area are being provided by Mount Pulaski EMS instead of the Chestnut volunteers, according to Mount Pulaski EMS supervisor Stan Anderson. Chestnut EMS operates from the Mount Pulaski Rural Fire Protection District's satellite station in Chestnut,

Anderson said inspectors found medical supplies that were out of date - some of them not only by days or months, but by years. A bag containing medical supplies, such as bandages, was lined with black mold, which also covered many of the supplies, he said.

"It's not something that happened overnight," Anderson said.

Anderson said the inspectors found the responding EMS vehicle was not the one licensed to respond to medical calls.

The Mount Pulaski fire district's trustees retired the licensed unit in July when the vehicle could not be stored in a heated facility, as required by state law. The trustees advised Chestnut EMS responders to modify their station's pumper engine, transfer the necessary equipment and use it as their EMS vehicle.

Anderson said the pumper was modified and was being used for EMS calls, but the licensing was not changed.

Other violations included:

* Batteries, such as AA and C batteries, had leaked and caused corrosion.

* Oxygen regulators were not functioning.

* Required materials, including splints, an obstetric kit, sterile water and burn sheets were not on hand.

* The unit had medical supplies it was not licensed to carry. Anderson said the EMS supplies included intravenous drugs and needles.

"Logan County Paramedics are the only ones licensed to carry that in Logan County," he said.

* Records documenting training and reports for previous medical calls were not available.

* The EMS license was not made available to each EMS responder. Responders are required to have access to the license 24 hours a day.

Anderson said the inspectors shut down the service at about 11 a.m. Tuesday after inspecting EMS rigs at the Mount Pulaski and Chestnut stations.

"Mount Pulaski (EMS) will be covering all medical calls in that area, along with Logan County Paramedics," he said.

The service will continue until Chestnut volunteers make the necessary changes and St. John's EMS investigators re-examine their vehicle and supplies.

"It's until they bring things back up to code themselves," Anderson said.

Chestnut EMS responders were unavailable for comment.

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