SUGARCREEK, Ohio — In rural communities like Sugarcreek, where hospitals are miles away, having advanced emergency equipment can mean the difference between life and death.
The Sugarcreek Fire and EMS Department is taking steps to ensure residents get the critical care they need quickly.
The department covers a 70-square-mile area, where response times can be lengthy due to the distance to hospitals.
“We’re kind of rural out here. Our hospitals aren’t super close. Our response times tend to be longer just getting to the patient,” said Cody Shetler, a captain and paramedic with Sugarcreek Fire and Rescue.
Once a patient is reached, it often takes 20 minutes to get to the nearest hospital in Dover.
For critical conditions like heart attacks, transport times to facilities in Canton or Akron can range from 30 to 65 minutes.
“The care we have to provide is usually more in-depth because we have the patient for a longer period of time,” Shetler said.
Trauma patients are especially vulnerable.
“In trauma patients, we want to get them to an operating table in under an hour,” Shetler said.
To combat these challenges, the department has equipped its EMS trucks with tools typically found in hospitals.
“Back here we have our cardiac monitor so we can do everything they would do in the hospital with this,” Shetler said.
The department is also one of the first in the state to use an ultrasound for administering IVs, a time-saving feature critical for emergency care.
“I get a lot of time, ‘Oh, you actually have that equipment.’ It’s like yeah, we have to have this equipment because of how far out we are,” Shetler said.
John Meek, the Sugarcreek Fire and EMS chief, said the team continuously looks for ways to improve.
“We keep moving forward. We’re ahead of the game. And when we do have these patients it’s great to see we did make a difference in their lives,” Meek said.
The department recently announced it will soon add a second EMS truck featuring additional life-saving tools.
The new truck will have cameras on the front and sides for better visibility and a combined refrigerator and heating unit to store medical supplies.
“The truck will look very similar to this one but have even more life-saving features,” Meek said.
With the new truck, the department can respond to two emergencies simultaneously, ensuring quicker response times and critical care for more patients.
