New York ER Docs Get Fire/EMS View of Rescue

Ten emergency room physicians donned firefighter gear last week to learn how rescuers get accident victims to the hospital.

The doctors, all first-year residents at University Hospital at Upstate Medical University, were taught how to tear apart a car and then delicately extricate an accident victim.

The training, which the hospital has offered for seven years, was conducted by members of the Manlius Fire Department July 17 and 18.

"They're going to get an understanding and appreciation of what conditions are like in the field," said Dr. Dan Olsson , assistant professor of emergency medicine at Upstate Medical University.

The program also introduces the new doctors, who arrived July 1, to the rescuers.

"They can put a face to the voice on the radio," Olsson said.

The sessions were videotaped and photographed. The images will be used by Olsson at medical conferences. A survey he conducted found that about 13 percent of the nation's emergency medicine training programs have this type of hands-on experience, he said.

Under a blazing sun, the residents learned how to safely brace a car, break out windows and remove the doors and roof with hydraulic spreading and cutting tools to give the paramedics enough access to treat the patient. The residents also learned how to prepare the patient for the stretcher and ambulance ride.

The training helps the residents ask better questions when rescuers bring in an accident patient.

"It helps you not miss something," said Dr. Spencer Ferrin , of Eden, Utah. "If you haven't talked to the rescuers, you've missed a big part of your responsibility."

Ferrin said he enjoyed ripping the car apart.

"It rocks," he said. "We love doing this stuff."

Dr. Sonya Daria , of San Diego, jumped when a window shattered as she applied a spring-loaded punch to the glass.

"It was a little startling," she said, but she said she enjoyed the experience. "I'm on a high. ... It goes with the emergency medicine workload."

Taking care of whatever comes in to the hospital is what attracted the residents to emergency medicine.

"Never knowing what's coming in has always excited me," said Dr. Larry Creswell , of Rochester.

The rescue training was led by Norm Carroll and Randy Goodale , firefighters and paramedics with the Manlius department. The university pays for the training, Carroll said.

Making the residents do the work makes the training more valuable, Carroll said.

"Not only do they get to see it, they get to experience it," he said.

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