TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, Ala. — Nearly 30 Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s deputies are also certified paramedics, enabling the agency to send cross-trained first responders to emergency medical calls in addition to routine law-enforcement duties.
WBRC reported that at a recent training, deputy paramedics practiced a low-angle rescue by securing a patient and moving them to safety. Because the patient can’t walk, deputies drilled the safest, most efficient way to transfer them to a rescue vehicle.
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“Your ambulance may be 45 minutes out. A deputy who’s a medical deputy may only be 15,” Andy McGee, a trainer with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, said. “We’ve saved 30 minutes by cutting it from 45 to 15 minutes, where we now have someone on scene that has all the advanced life support that an ambulance has.”
The Medical Unit program requires extensive training, including physically demanding coursework, according to the sheriff’s office. The unit was launched in April 2012 to deliver rapid ALS medical response. It started with four deputies and now fields 14, working closely with volunteer fire departments when staffing is thin.
Deputies assess, treat and prepare patients for transport until relieved by equal or higher-level medical personnel. The unit also handles crashes, mass-casualty events, domestic calls, burglar alarms and other crimes, and assists other agencies. Teams typically work Monday–Friday.
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