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Lewiston First Resonders among best in handling emergencies By
Jennifer Brennan LEWISTON -- "Ring, ring . . . " The call comes in. The First Responder volunteer from Lewiston slips on his shoes and heads out to the scene of an accident in Logan to assist other professional rescue workers. After the events of Sept. 11, many people are wondering how they can serve others. Lewiston's First Responders program has been serving others through volunteer work for 20 years. Mark Blair, First Responder chairman, feels Lewiston has one of the best emergency preparedness organizations in the valley. "We have one of the highest quality in the valley," he said. Blair is a full-time employee for the city in addition to his involvement with First Responders. He said he was exhausted after spending the past 20 hours clearing snow off the roads with other First Responder volunteers. This is just an example of one of the many things Blair, Allen Smith, vice chairman and Jake Johnsonp do in leading a pack of 18 volunteers in the program. Lewiston First Responders is a sister organization to Cache County's rescue efforts. In fact, when Logan emergency workers are called to the scene of an accident, the volunteers are alongside to watch, learn and assist the professionals. Blair is pleased with the volunteers and the efforts they put forth in assisting in emergency situations. Lewiston's fire station was built six years ago, just as Mayor Russell Hirst took office. Since the day he stepped into office the mayor has given full support to the First Responders. "I feel really good about [the] teamwork effort," said Hirst. There was once $12,000 allocated to the emergency preparedness programs but now there is about $18,000 set aside per year, Blair said. The budget is used toward training and extrication equipment. With more money, First Responders can buy more books to train volunteers. Hirst also revamped emergency preparedness as Lewiston previously had it set up. First, Lewiston invested in an ambulance from Logan City. Then the mayor wanted to make the First Responder volunteers Emergency Medical Training (EMT) certified. Since then, all of volunteers are required to take practical tests every three years on emergency preparedness techniques. They also need to be certified in CPR, Blair said. The volunteers are trained in delivering babies, aiding burns, assisting in broken bones and helping at the scene of car accidents. The volunteers put in about an hour per week on calls with Cache County. They put in an additional two hours for training. "Because of the mayor, we are the best equipped city in the valley prepared for a disaster," he said. If a large disaster were to strike Lewiston, Blair said he has no doubt they would be prepared to handle the first 72 hours. First, community members would find shelter in the schools due to the food supply and furnaces in the schools. Second, they would gather in a church for shelter. Third and most likely the best choice would be gathering at the community center. There is a power generator that would be able to keep the residents warm and sheltered. Once again, Blair said, "[There is] nothing we couldn't handle." In a disaster situation, Lewiston's volunteers and residents are prepared and ready. Blair said if there is a possibility of a disaster, "We are going to be on our own and need to be [as] prepared as we can." But for now, and in hopes Lewiston will not have to deal with a disaster of that magnitude, Blair offered a few tips for everyone to be more prepared. He said it is important to have a flashlight, radio with batteries, canned foods, blankets and candles in a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit. He recognizes Lewiston needs to be prepared without outside rescue workers from Cache County. If disaster struck, chances are every city would be taking care of its own rescue efforts. "We want to be prepared so we can be without outsiders," he said. But most of the time he said the Lewiston volunteers and Cache County rescue workers have to work together. "We can't be completely self-sufficient," he said. "We're not trying to take over Logan's medicine." Like Lewiston volunteers, Logan Regional Hospital has been preparing if a disaster were to strike the community. The hospital has a disaster plan, said Shane Hone, director of public relations at Logan Regional Hospital.
The disaster plan involves calling in surgeons, physicians, nurses and other staff members to treat people. The hospital members involved practice a drill twice a year as required by joint commission, Hone said. Logan Regional Hospital has close to 1,000 employees. Counseling services are also offered at the Logan Regional Hospital. Employee Assistants Program (EAP) Counselors are made available for counseling, Hone said. "[There] have been local tragedies in past years where EAP counselors are placed in businesses," Hone said. In regards to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, Hone said, "We'd stand ready to help if we did have a disaster in this area. Fortunately we've never had a disaster that has been as large as what we've had in New York and D.C," Hone said.
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