Fire District 13 exploring paramedicine program

Swinomish and Fire District 13 officials have begun taking steps for a joint community paramedicine program.

“It’s still in its infancy stages,” said FD 13 Commissioner J.J. Wilbur at their monthly meeting June 9. He is also a Swinomish Indian Tribal Community senator.

“We’ve had preliminary discussions about a potential partnership between Fire District 13 and Swinomish,” said Wilbur, “but it hasn’t gone to the full Senate yet. We’re still doing our homework.”

Fire Chief Wood Weiss, firefighter Andrew Schram and the Swinomish Tribal police department have explored prospects for paramedicine services as an expansion of the current “Good Morning, District 13” program.

The program, which provides regular contact and wellness checks for participants, could add as many as three more residents this week, including one referred by Swinomish Tribal Police Chief Earl Cowan, said Gary Ladd, program coordinator and an FD 13 captain.

Weiss has reached out for input from Puget Sound fire departments and districts with paramedicine programs. A close parallel is Tulalip Bay, which serves the tribal reservation there, said Weiss, who has checked with Puget Sound fire departments and districts with paramedicine programs.

“They’re willing to help set up this program,” Weiss said, “and we could use that help.”

Adding a paramedicine component is a subject the fire district has explored for nearly a decade, said Ladd.

Whether a local paramedicine unit would be administered by Fire District 13 with funding support from Swinomish or operate directly under the tribe is yet to be determined.

Advocates say the program will provide proactive patient care and reduce demands for acute treatment in hospitals. The emergency medical technicians and paramedics will also be vital resources in the addiction recovery and mental health care arenas, Schram said.

“It’s definitely needed in our community,” he said. “I’d be excited to see it.”

Commission Chair Bruce Shellhamer said he appreciated the discussion and study for the initiative.

“We’re not looking just at what to do next month,” he said. “We’re looking at five to 10 years down the road.”

Fire District Commissioner John Doyle reported a favorable cost estimate from Coach Corral for site development and installation of new modular firefighter housing at the district’s Snee Oosh Road station. The estimated price is $198,960, similar to a 2020 quote, he said.

“It looks really good right now in terms of cost,” Doyle said. “If this works out, it’s looking really good for this project.”

Weiss reported an uptick last month in COVID-19 cases in Skagit County and from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Cases rose county-wide from 250 to 316 from April to May, he said. The Swinomish numbers rose from 65 to 86 over the same period. Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 rose by 50% over the past week.

“So,” he sighed, “it continues to be a concern. We keep waiting and hope we can move past this.”

Weiss also lamented that the increase in mass shootings across the country have led him to consider purchasing tactical vests for fire district responders.

“Paramedics and EMTs get caught up in those emergencies where people get shot at,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s become part of our world and those are situations where we need to protect our members.”

The fire district will conduct a marina fire drill June 22 and water rescue training June 24.

Captain Ted Taylor reviewed the three-hour volunteer opportunity and disaster preparedness event at Shelter Bay earlier in June. He also shared a new Skagit County Department of Emergency Management map indicating areas most likely to be impacted by a tsunami.

“We are very much affected,” Taylor said.

He and Doyle agreed that a series of destructive waves are projected should a tsunami reach the La Conner area. They said a second burst, occurring 18-24 hours later, would likely cause more damage than the first wave.