| Willard Fire Department |
| About Us |
The Willard Fire Department delivers fire & emergency medical services by a staff of 5 full-time and
34 part-time personnel. The five full-time include the Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, and three Shift
Supervisors. The part-time include 25 firefighter/EMTs and 9 firefighters.
On Sunday, September 30, 2001 the Willard Fire Department implemented 24 hour around the clock
coverage on station. In the past years, the full-time firefighters worked from 8am - 4pm Monday thru
Friday. During the hours from 4pm until 8am the next day also including 48 hours on the weekends,
the part-time employees responded for fire & EMS calls from their homes. With the 24 hour shift
work, this has reduced the response time on fire & EMS calls.
BLS (Basic Life Support)
Since the fire department began responding for emergency medical calls with the ambulance in 1973, it
began with the level of Emergency Medical Technician - Ambulance (EMT-A). In 1995 the Ohio
Department of Public Safety initiated a new curriculum called a bridge course for the EMT-A which
they would then become Emergency Medical Technician - Basic (EMT-B). The bridge course would
now allow the EMT-B's to use an AED (automated external defibrillator) for pulseless, non-breathing
patients who suffered a cardiac arrest. The AED would allow the EMTs to defibrillate (shock) a
patient who's heart was in ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia and try to restore the heart
into a normal rhythm. The bridge course also allowed the EMTs to intubate patients who were not
breathing. Intubation is the procedure of placing a tube into the trachea just past the vocal cords to
secure the patient's airway and prevent the patient from aspirating foreign objects into the lungs. The
bridge course also allowed the EMTs to assist the patient with Nitroglycerin and Meter Dosed
Inhalers (MDI).
ALS (Advanced Life Support)
In April of 2001 the fire department upgraded Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from a Basic Life
Support to an Advanced Life Support level. The fire department has two levels of Advanced Life
Support which include the EMT-Intermediate (EMT-I) and the EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P).
EMT-Intermediates perform all of the above BLS skills plus initiate IV therapy, administer
medications for some breathing problems, allergic reactions, seizures, drug overdoses, pain
management and diabetic emergencies. The EMT-I also interprets 6 cardiac rhythms and perform a
chest decompression in the case of a collapsed lung.
Paramedics perform the skills listed above for the EMT-B and EMT-I plus interpret 25 cardiac
rhythms, cardioversion, defibrillation with a manual defibrillator, needle cricothyrotomy, surgical
cricothyrotomy (an incision in the neck for a breathing tube to be inserted), and chest decompression.
The paramedic also provides medication therapy for cardiac emergencies including a heart attack,
irregular heart rhythms, rapid sequence intubation (RSI), breathing problems, allergic reactions,
seizures, drug overdoses, pain management and diabetic emergencies.
34 part-time personnel. The five full-time include the Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, and three Shift
Supervisors. The part-time include 25 firefighter/EMTs and 9 firefighters.
On Sunday, September 30, 2001 the Willard Fire Department implemented 24 hour around the clock
coverage on station. In the past years, the full-time firefighters worked from 8am - 4pm Monday thru
Friday. During the hours from 4pm until 8am the next day also including 48 hours on the weekends,
the part-time employees responded for fire & EMS calls from their homes. With the 24 hour shift
work, this has reduced the response time on fire & EMS calls.
BLS (Basic Life Support)
Since the fire department began responding for emergency medical calls with the ambulance in 1973, it
began with the level of Emergency Medical Technician - Ambulance (EMT-A). In 1995 the Ohio
Department of Public Safety initiated a new curriculum called a bridge course for the EMT-A which
they would then become Emergency Medical Technician - Basic (EMT-B). The bridge course would
now allow the EMT-B's to use an AED (automated external defibrillator) for pulseless, non-breathing
patients who suffered a cardiac arrest. The AED would allow the EMTs to defibrillate (shock) a
patient who's heart was in ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia and try to restore the heart
into a normal rhythm. The bridge course also allowed the EMTs to intubate patients who were not
breathing. Intubation is the procedure of placing a tube into the trachea just past the vocal cords to
secure the patient's airway and prevent the patient from aspirating foreign objects into the lungs. The
bridge course also allowed the EMTs to assist the patient with Nitroglycerin and Meter Dosed
Inhalers (MDI).
ALS (Advanced Life Support)
In April of 2001 the fire department upgraded Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from a Basic Life
Support to an Advanced Life Support level. The fire department has two levels of Advanced Life
Support which include the EMT-Intermediate (EMT-I) and the EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P).
EMT-Intermediates perform all of the above BLS skills plus initiate IV therapy, administer
medications for some breathing problems, allergic reactions, seizures, drug overdoses, pain
management and diabetic emergencies. The EMT-I also interprets 6 cardiac rhythms and perform a
chest decompression in the case of a collapsed lung.
Paramedics perform the skills listed above for the EMT-B and EMT-I plus interpret 25 cardiac
rhythms, cardioversion, defibrillation with a manual defibrillator, needle cricothyrotomy, surgical
cricothyrotomy (an incision in the neck for a breathing tube to be inserted), and chest decompression.
The paramedic also provides medication therapy for cardiac emergencies including a heart attack,
irregular heart rhythms, rapid sequence intubation (RSI), breathing problems, allergic reactions,
seizures, drug overdoses, pain management and diabetic emergencies.
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