This Thursday, November 7, Crookston High School will host an EMS Community Event. KROX radio sat down with Brandon Adams, Crookston High School English Teacher and event organizer, and Nick Neibauer, manager of Crookston Area Ambulance, to find out more about the event.
“On November 7, Crookston Ambulance and Crookston Fire will be cooperating in hosting an event at the high school, which will be based upon helicopter training for air ambulance systems,” says Neibauer. “There will be two events going on; one will be a formal event for first responders, including law enforcement, fire, and EMS, talking about landing zone safety, traffic control, and prepping a patient for an air ambulance ride,” Neibauer says the event will also cover definitions of when first responders do and do not use an air ambulance straight from the field.
After the formal event for law enforcement, Crookston Community Education will host a general public session, says Neibauer. “We will be informing everybody on ambulance operations and the difference between an air ambulance with helicopters and a ground ambulance.”
Neibauer explained that weather permitting, an air ambulance would land in the CHS parking lot around 7:00 p.m. Thursday evening once the first responder class completes itself. The general public will be able to view the landing and then have a Q&A session with the helicopter staff.
Brandon Adams was at the center of the planning for what was initially a first responder training event to include the community. We asked Adams why this was important. “From the school perspective, taking this event, that was helpful for first responders and firefighters, and broadening it out to the community in general, to have the community come to visit, to see what Crookston Area Ambulance offers, and to have a chance to speak to Crookston Area Ambulance and understand what resources are available to the community.”
Adams says the event is free and open to the public. “This is open to anyone who wants to come, youth, adults, both. At 5:30 p.m., anyone who wishes to come can meet outside in the parking lot at Crookston High School to meet with Crookston Area Ambulance and see the ambulances and see the inside of ambulances,” says Adams. “Between 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., there will be two sessions, one for first responders and fire, and one for the general public,” Adams explains that for the general public, this will be a Q&A session in which questions about air medical transport and local EMS can be asked. After the sessions, the helicopter will land in the CHS parking lot.
Neibauer hopes for a great event turnout. “I really encourage the general public to come out and visit between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.,” says Neibauer. “I would love to answer questions about how our ambulance system works, how we fund ourselves, how we make decisions on who gets transported where and how we basically operate and what we do for the community.”
This event is a collaboration between Crookston Area Ambulance, the Crookston Fire Department, Crookston Public Schools/Community Education, and Life Link. The weather looks cooperative, so head out to the Crookston High School Thursday night, November 7, at 5:30 for the EMS Community Event.
