By Joe Chapman; Herald Staff Writer
Tri-City Herald
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — When a fire captain from Riverside County, Calif., needed medical attention, it was his good luck that a Mid-Columbia strike team was handy.
Capt. Jeff Roberts of the Riverside County Fire Department was off duty Sunday when he was thrown from a golf cart and suffered life-threatening injuries. When Richland Fire Department paramedics Ron Duncan, Scott Hansen and Ryan Nielson and EMT Bob Grubenhoff arrived to help, they found him in critical condition with slowed breathing.
The firefighters used a procedure to treat him that the Riverside department wasn’t trained to use. It involved using a drug to paralyze Roberts’ body and respiratory system and inserting a tube into his trachea to get oxygen to his lungs.
The procedure, called rapid sequence intubation, appears to have made all the difference.
“Had it not been available, Roberts risked suffering further brain injury due to compromised airway issues,” Riverside Battalion Chief Steven Beach wrote in an e-mail to the Mid-Columbia fire departments.
The firefigthers were in California as part of a two-week mission to battle fires and clean up after them in Southern California. The team included 22 firefighters and five engines from Kennewick and Richland, Benton fire districts 1 and 4, Walla Walla Fire District 5 and College Place Fire Department.
After returning home Tuesday, the strike team began catching up on rest, going over costs and reflecting on what they experienced.
Much of the team’s work was in the Harris Fire area near the Mexican border. The firefighters worked to get residents back into their homes, restore the environment and protect the water reservoir.
The strike team fought a fire with the Tijuana Bomberos, Mexican firefighters who also provided aid to California. And for several days, the team responded to local calls with the Riverside department.
“It’s not something we were expecting,” said Chief Bryan Bauer of Walla Walla Fire District 5. The assignment involved staying at one of the county’s 96 stations, becoming a part of the local crews and training with them, he said.
“The experience we have had with the crews from Washington State has been phenomenal to this point,” Battalion Chief Beach wrote in his e-mail, “but to be able to cooperatively work for the better outcome of one of our patients is the true definition of seamless fire service.”
The Mid-Columbia agencies predicted their total costs would be about $620,000. After the actual costs are figured, the state will reimburse the local departments, then bill California, which could cover the cost with Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance.
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