Medic 400
The East Umatilla County Health District was formed in 1988 to better serve the communities of Athena and Weston with medical emergencies. Today the district is comprised of one full time Paramedic Administrator and several volunteer Emergency Medical Technicians. Medic 400 is a state certified Advanced Life Support Emergency Response Vehicle based in Athena, Oregon. Our state certified personnel can provide many life saving skills that can mean the difference between life and death. For an example, a person experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack can receive the same initial care from our Paramedics as they will in the emergency room. This early medical intervention in the community will save valuable time and heart muscle for our patients.
Our unit serves over 400 square miles of land and serves a year round population of over 4000 in the communities of Adams, Athena, Helix, Tollgate and Weston. We respond to an average of 200 calls per year with emergency medical services being available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Our coverage area borders with Pendleton Fire & Ambulance Service to the west, north to the Columbia River, east bordering with Millton-Freewater Rural Fire & Ambulance and south with the Umatilla Tribal Fire & Ambulance Service. Our response time is comparable to any rural full time staffed ambulance unit with medics that live in station. Volunteers in all our communities make this response time possible.
In Athena, medics respond from their homes to the station and respond with the ambulance to the scene. In the outlying areas and towns the medics that live in those areas respond straight to your home and the ambulance comes from Athena. In some situations were our unit is unavailable or we need additional assistance we have mutual aid contracts with neighboring ambulance services to respond to our area. We also cover neighboring ambulance districts when they are unavailable or need assistance This ensures medical response for everyone utilizing available resources in Umatilla County. We also are able to call in Med Star for medical helicopter transport.
Our medics have completed extensive training and are state certified as emergency responders with the State of Oregon Department of Human Resources-Emergency Medical Services. In addition, medics are required to complete a minimum amount of continuing education to keep our skills current. We respond to medical and trauma calls such as motor vehicle crashes, asthma attacks, assaults, childbirth, diabetic emergencies, burns, fractures, drug overdoses and heart attacks...to name a few! We carry life saving equipment such as defibrillators, invasive airways IV fluids and medications for various pain and medical issues. Winter time brings an influx of recreational enthusiasts with sledding, skiing and snowmobile accidents. At times we are sent on snowmobile with Umatilla County Search and Rescue personnel to retrieve accident victims from deep within our local forests. We also respond to hazardous materials spills and leaks, structure fires and sporting event injuries. Everyday brings something new and we do our best to resolve the emergency situation and provide patient care and transport. We also volunteer at local events including Hodaka Days, Adams Day, Weston Lawnmower Races, Helix Rodeo, Tigerscots football games and Fire Prevention Day in Weston.
Fire Prevention Day 2010
The 3rd Annual Fire Prevention Day 2010 in Weston was a success. Local emergency services agencies greeted community members in the Weston City Park. There was a free BBQ with hamburgers, chips, corn on the cob, soda and hot coffee sponsored by the East Umatilla County Rural Fire Protection District. Medic 400 participated by handing out brochures and giving participants free medical information cards, coloring pages and 911 information.
