VCAD, sheriff's office form partnership

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

A new partnership between the Vernon County Sheriff's Office and the Vernon County Ambulance District will put trained medical personnel on the special weapons and tactics team every time it is called out -- no matter what the circumstance.

Sheriff Jason Mosher and VCAD Director James McKenzie are both excited to be part of a good working relationship that will serve the public better. McKenzie said the sheriff has been "very proactive" in the formation of the partnership to form a joint team.

All of the details haven't been worked out yet, but the team is operational right now. McKenzie said at least a half a dozen VCAD employees are excited about being part of the SWAT team.

A training regimen and schedule are in the planning process right now, but members on both sides of cooperative equation will receive some training to make the team as efficient as possible.

The newly formed SWAT team has been activated several times this year -- at least one incident at which shots were fired at deputies. In that particular case, Mosher said, deputies were a long way from medical care, and a wounded officer having to wait for delayed medical care could have had tragic results.

Members of the team will cross-train so medical personnel know the operating procedures of deputies and deputies update their medical training. Each member will be familiar with the equipment used by both entities.

Medical personnel will wear the same protective gear that deputies wear, Mosher said.

Mosher and McKenzie acknowledge that having emergency medical technicians on the team will be a big advantage. It's about more than the threats deputies face from criminal activity.

The equipment the team members wear is heavy and hot. Medics also will be able to monitor the health of the team during extremely hot or cold weather or prolonged deployments.

The sheriff's offices' newly acquired Humvee will serve as the unit's vehicle and be equipped with the medical supplies needed during a call. VCAD already has most of those supplies. About the only thing lacking is an automated external defibrillator.

Mosher said the sheriff's office doesn't have any of the life saving devices and McKenzie said, "We're going to fix that."

McKenzie said the ambulance board has already budgeted some money to purchase AEDs for the sheriff's office. Since a new fiscal budget began Monday, McKenzie said, the defibrillators could be on hand very soon.

"This is going to be good stuff," McKenzie said of the partnership, which have become more commonplace since 9/11.

Partnerships are especially important in rural areas where limited resources and isolation make them even more practical and valuable, McKenzie said.

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