Otter Tail County (Northwestern Minnesota) Chapter
ABOUT
The Otter Tail County Chapter works with the Midwest Survivors Network to implement defibrillators in schools, churches, police cruisers, and ambulances. Chapter leader Randy Fischer, who oversees the operations of ambulance service in the Otter Tail area, has long been involved with AED access programs and SCA awareness. He has also been a leader in the CPR/AED field, including the coordination of Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) training for paramedics, paramedic students, physicians, and nurses.
CHAPTER NEWS
STEVENS COUNTY AMBULANCE SERVICE TEACHES PEOPLE "HOW TO SAVE A LIFETM" Innovative 30-minute program designed to teach people CPR, increase AED awareness. In just 30 minutes you can learn what to do in the first critical minutes of an emergency that might save your life or that of a friend, co-worker or family member. Stevens County Ambulance and EMS Training in conjunction with the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association is offering our How To Save A LifeTM presentation free of charge to interested organizations, businesses and groups. To schedule the presentation for your organization contact Stevens County Ambulance & EMS Training at 320-589-7421 or call Josh at 320-241-3971. Stevens County Ambulance & EMS Training is also making $100 grants available to chamber members to assist with the purchase of an AED. Businesses and organizations that call during the month of May to schedule the How To Save a LifeTM presentation are eligible for this funding. So call today and learn how to save a life!
Otter Tail County Wants You!
The City of Elizabeth Fire Department, in conjunction with Ringdahl ambulance services in Fergus Falls and Pelican Rapids, are requesting funding through an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) project. We would like you to send a letter of support for the project.
If funded we will engage in additional meetings to develop, implement, and choose the requested equipment for the agencies and develop training schedules. The grant request is entirely funded through private donations, grants, and cash which will require $0.00 from your local fire department, city, police department or first responder agency to participate in the grant.
Contact: Gary Wilde or Randy Fischer for more information if needed.
Letters of support - City of Elizabeth Fire Department AFG REGIONAL project grant application - EMS cardiac arrest survival project.
This regional grant includes agencies in western Otter Tail County and a portion of Wilken County around the Rothsay area. It includes 14 EMS agencies in Fergus Falls, Elizabeth, Rothsay, Pelican Rapids, Vergas, Dent, Underwood, Battle Lake, and the Otter Tail County sheriff's department.
The project intends to increase cardiac arrest survival rates through improved equipment, training, and development of standard consistent approaches across multiple emergency services.
Equipping Fire, Police, sheriff, and ambulance EMS responders with cardiac monitors, AEDs, cardiac response kits, mechanical compression units, and specific EMS training and approaches that have been successful at increasing survival rates of out of hospital cardiac arrests from less than seven percent to over 20 percent. The direct impact could be an additional 2.1 lives annually saved by implementation of this project in our identified region.
PLEASE send a letter TODAY supporting our Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) REGIONAL grant request, mail to:
CLICK HERE for a sample letter that you can simply place on your letterhead and include your name and edit as you like. Sign and send ASAP.
Letters can also be written on your own and sent to the following address:
RE: Elizabeth, MN Fire Department REGIONAL GRANT for EMS cardiac arrest survival project
R. David Paulison, Administrator
FEMA
500 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20472
Fax: (202) 786-9938
Otter Tail County's 2008 Activities
214 E. Junius
P.O. Box 462
Fergus Falls, MN 56538
Phone: (218) 731-8216
fischers@info-link.net