Annette of Neighborhood 16 asked, “Recently my neighbor had a medical emergency and called 911. The response was quick as both a Huntley ambulance and firetruck arrived with lights flashing. Why were both trucks sent when there was no fire?”
That’s a great question and I will address it in two parts, the first part now, and the second in a future issue.
Structurally, the Huntley Fire Protection District (HFPD), headquartered at 11118 Main Street, consists of five stations. Stations number 3 and number 5 are the primary locations that respond to Sun City 911 calls. All five stations have similar equipment and are similarly staffed 24/7 with paramedics who are also trained in fire. These professionals rotate their duties daily. The HFPD covers an area of 55-square-miles, including portions of Algonquin, Pingree Grove, Gilberts, Lake in the Hills, and Hampshire. They will also respond to emergencies along Interstate 90 between Randall Road to the east and Route 20 to the west.
The Sun City community is fortunate to have such highly trained Emergency Services personnel nearby. In total, 78 HFD EMS workers are certified Paramedics, a skill level requiring up to two years of specific medical training. They are supported by twenty cadets (high school students) and interns. Target response time for all Sun 911 calls is 4 to 6 minutes.
When a 911 call is received, dispatchers will alert the station nearest to the incident. That station will make a determination as to the number of personnel required to adequately meet the caller’s needs. For an uncomplicated call requiring basic life support (lift assist, minor injury), just the ambulance will be sent. For more involved incidents requiring advanced life support both an ambulance and a fire truck will be sent. The decision to send two units is based on the anticipated number of EMS workers needed. Once the patient has been stabilized, the ambulance will transport them to the nearest hospital, typically Northwestern Huntley, St. Josephs, or Sherman hospitals.
For extreme trauma, or severe burn victims, patients can be air-lifted to a Level 1 trauma hospital.
Over the past twelve months the Fire District received over seven thousand 911 calls, 2,882 (40%) of which originated in Sun City. A little more than 75% were EMS related and the remainder were fire related (actual fire, smell of gas, smoke alarms, etc). During that same period, the Huntley Fire Protection District responded to 10 structural fires in our 55-square-mile district.
To be continued next month…
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