HISTORY OF THE EFFPD

The East Fork Fire Protection District is the largest Fire District in Northern Nevada with 96 staff and 60 volunteers.  They cover the vast majority of Douglas County and work with the State of NV and other agencies.  They have a separate tax structure and board from Douglas County and operate on a $26 million budget.  There are 13 stations of which 5 have paid staff and 6 have volunteers.  Ruhenstroth is currently used by the US Forest Service to house an engine.  Fire staff work 48 hours on and 96 hours off.  All staff were volunteers until 1980. 

Eighty-eight percent of call volume is medical related and therefore all of the District’s “all risk” staff are EMTs and Paramedics.  A fire engine will most often accompany the ambulance to provide additional manpower in moving objects and people as well as specialized tools which may be needed.  An EMT certificate can be accomplished with a one semester college course.  A Paramedic credential requires 2 years beyond that, include in hospital training and field internship.

AEDs

The Fire District maintains 75 AED’s throughout the District and there are many more maintained separately.  Using an AED is as easy as lifting the lid and following the voice instructions in conjunction with CPR.  According to Adam, “these things aren’t scary” and save lives.  There is a PulsePoint app that shows you where the AEDs are in the area that anyone can access.

NARCAN

Narcan has been carried by the Fire District for over 30 years and in the past few years has been made publicly available for the treatment of drug overdose patients.  “The sooner given after an overdose, the increased odds of a successful revival according to Adam.  What are the signs of an overdose?  The person stops breathing but still has a heartbeat.  If in doubt, there is no harm in giving a person Narcan.  It works because the Narcan takes away the high so the person feels the pain again and recovers a natural urge to breathe.