Photo courtesy Upper San Juan Health Service DistrictBy Jesse Hensle
Special to The PREVIEW
Pagosa Springs Medical Center (PSMC) Emergency Medical Services (EMS) held a ceremony to celebrate the addition of a new quick-response vehicle (QRV) to its fleet. The gathering took place on the morning of Oct. 20 at the PSMC EMS building.
The funding for the QRV was donated to the Dr. Mary Fisher Medical Foundation, the supporting foundation for PSMC, by James Masten and Cary Wilson. The multifunctional vehicle will be a valuable asset for rapid response to an emergency.
“This is not your typical quick response vehicle,” PSMC EMS Chief Jason Webb told the crowd of community members, boards members and fellow employees. “This vehicle will also allow us to operate a mobile command post for incidents that occur inside and outside of the medical center. It will greatly enhance our ability to manage a chaotic situation.”
Until now, PSMC EMS had been using a vehicle from the early 1990s with decreasing usefulness and reliability. The original QRV will continue to be utilized at a limited capacity.
Brad Cochennet, PSMC CEO, spoke to the crowd about the significance of the donation: “The base of medical care in this community is rooted in EMS, it was what people relied on to get treatment as they got transferred to the nearest facility miles away. We are proud to have this new resource that strengthens the roots from which we have grown.”
In addition to the QRV, the Dr. Mary Fisher Medical Foundation received a donation of 800mhz radios that operate on the statewide wireless system for communications between agencies. The radios will increase EMS’s ability to communicate locally and statewide.
“Overall, the donations are huge additions to our services and will provide us with more capability than we have ever had before,” said Webb when asked about the significance of the new equipment. “This will help us to continue to provide the award winning service our community deserves.”
