Lakeside and Santee Firefighter Paramedics - 40 years of Service

Lakeside, CA. -

Just over 40-years ago, eight firefighters from two small fire district's in "East County" began serving as the first paramedics in San Diego County. In July of 1975, the first paramedic advanced life support ambulance in San Diego County began serving the citizens of Santee, Lakeside, and Bostonia from Santee Fire District Station 1 on Cottonwood Avenue (now station 4). The assigned crew consisted of one Santee and one Lakeside firefighter-paramedic.

Back in early 1970s, paramedic service was still a new concept in California. Authorized by the state's 1970 Wedsworth-Townsend Act, paramedic services were being provided by only a few agencies statewide, primarily large fire departments in the greater Los Angeles area. In January of 1972, the capabilities of the (firefighter) paramedic truly entered the public consciousness with the popular television program Emergency!. Up until then, both Lakeside and Santee fire districts were providing transport ambulance service at a basic life support level. In 1974, the fire chiefs of the neighboring districts decided it was time to provide a (much) higher level of emergency medical service.

A public information campaign was launched with Santee Fire Captain Jack Stephenson assigned the daunting task of convincing local citizens of the need for the new life-saving service. Captain Stephenson made over 70 presentations to local community groups over the next months. During that period, federal grant funding was secured to help pay for the training costs. In addition to Capt. Stephenson, seven other firefighters were chosen to attend the rigorous advanced training course. In February of 1975, the eight firefighters started their training at newly-established UCSD EMS Training Office (EMSTO). This would become known as Paramedic Class 1.

Following a parallel course, a group of emergency room nurses at Grossmont Hospital started specialized training to become the first "paramedic" nurses in the county. Known as Mobile Intensive Care Nurses (MICN), these dedicated professionals would staff the first paramedic base station, providing medical direction to field paramedics via the EMS radio. Completing the prehospital care team were the first base hospital physicians at Grossmont hospital, ultimately providing 24-hour, real-time oversight of the paramedics operating in the field.

On March 4, 1975, voters in Lakeside, Santee, and Bostonia approved a special tax levy to create the CSA-69 Heartland Paramedic District with a 79% "yes" margin. This established a stable funding source for the new paramedic program.

With the voters approving the new paramedic district, the eight firefighters finished up their training. While the didactic (classroom) and clinical (hospital) instruction took place locally, the mandated field internship portion of the course had to be completed with certified paramedics. Since there were no paramedics in San Diego County, Class 1 trainees headed to Long Beach Fire Department to complete their field internships.

In July, 1975, after months of rigorous training, UCSD EMSTO Paramedic Class 1 graduated. That month, the first Mobile Intensive Care Paramedics (MICP) in San Diego County began serving the citizens of East County.

Lakeside and Santee firefighter-paramedics have been providing advance life support services ever since. The paramedic district currently provides service from four paramedic transport ambulances, two in Lakeside (M2, M3) and two in Santee (M4, M5). Both agencies also have robust paramedic engine programs quickly delivering a firefighter-paramedic to every call for service on board fire engines and truck companies prior to ambulance arrival. Additionally, the dual-role capability of the firefighter-paramedic provides increased daily firefighter staffing for both the City of Santee Fire Department and the Lakeside Fire Protection District.

EMSTO Class 1 Firefighter Trainees. (courtesy Life News)

Grossmont Hospital's First MICNs.

Post by: Captain-Paramedic Scott Culkin, Lakeside Fire District

Do You Think You Have What it Takes to Become a Paramedic in San Diego?

Southwestern College Paramedic Intern, Omar Asfar, is delivering a demonstration on the Zoll EKG monitor as part of his paramedic field evaluation time on Medic 3. Paramedic students like Omar are assigned to a paramedic ambulance for a minimum of 528 hours. During that time, the students are trained and evaluated on paramedic skills that they have developed in the classroom. In addition to the 528 hours on a paramedic ambulance they have to complete 860 hours of classroom time and 168 hours of clinical hospital time.

 Paramedic Intern Omar Asfar gives a presentation to the Lake Jennings Fire Station crew on the defibrillator.

While in the hospital, the student rotates through various departments, such as, the Emergency Room, Labor and Delivery, Pediatrics, and the Operating Room. In the hospital the students learn first hand skills from doctors, nurses and other specialists to help them become professionals in the field of Emergency Medicine. Lakeside Fire Protection District was one of the first paramedic providers in San Diego County and is proud to continue to participate in the training and evaluation of new paramedic students eager to provide public service to the community.

Currently Lakeside Fire has two interns. One is assigned to the Lake Jennings station, the other is at the River Park station.

Submitted By: Firefighter-Paramedic Jamie Hazlewood, Lakeside Fire Protection District

The Stork Visits Flinn Springs - Lakeside Firefighters Assist with Newborn Delivery

Flinn Springs, CA - 

An expectant mother didn't quite make it to the hospital early Wednesday morning, June 12, 2013. The car she was traveling in pulled over on westbound Interstate 8 and 911 was called when the baby could not wait any longer. Firefighters from Lakeside's Blossom Valley fire station (fs26) were alerted at 3:49 a.m. and quickly responded to help.

By the time firefighters had arrived, a healthy baby boy had already delivered. The crew assessed both mother and baby and prepared both for transport to Grossmont Hospital. Lakeside Medic 2 from the River Park fire station (fs2) arrived to provide transport.

Ironically, Engine 26 had just returned to quarters from another childbirth-related call when this call was dispatched.



Post by: Captain Scott Culkin, Lakeside Fire District

San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.com

A Great Day at Lakeside Station #3

Lake Jennings Area-

On October 13, 2011, the crew from Lakeside Fire Station #3 received a report that a teacher at Lakeview Elementary School had lapsed into unconsciousness. In a series of fortunate events, a teacher from another classroom had discovered Vickee Cloniger at her desk unresponsive. A call was placed for help and the school nurse responded to the classroom.

Discovering that Vickee was now pulseless, CPR was started until the arrival of the fire department engine company and paramedic ambulance. Upon entering the scene, the crew discovered that the patient continued to be pulseless. Advanced cardiac life support was initiated which included a series of defibrillations to re-start the heart. Soon paramedics detected a pulse and the monitor indicated that Vickee's heart had started beating again.

Vickee, and husband CJ, present the crew at station #3 with a "thank you" cake. (from L to R): Firefighter-Paramedic Lance Buford, Fire Engineer Steve Schleif, Firefighter-Paramedic Chris Williams, CJ Cloniger, Vickee Cloniger, Fire Captain Mark Grow, Firefighter-Paramedic Eric Stamm

Medications were administered to keep the heart functioning normally and the crew rapidly loaded her into Medic 3 for the short ride to Grossmont Hospital. En route to the hospital the crew was amazed as the patient not only started breathing on her own, but had regained consciousness and was holding a conversation with the medics.

Over the weeks of recovery, the crew was able to follow Vickee's recovery through reports from the hospital. But the best reward occurred on November 4, 2011, when Vickee, and her husband visited the crew at the fire station.

Fully recovered, Vickee has returned to the job she loves; as a 1st grade teacher at Lakeview Elementary.

Extrication Traffic Collision on Wildcat Canyon Rd.

Wildcat Canyon -

On the evening of February 16, 2011,  units from the Lakeside and Barona Fire Districts were dispatched to a two-vehicle collision on Wildcat Canyon Road just south of Muth Valley Road.  When Battalion 1 arrived on scene and assumed command, he reported two vehicles with moderate to severe damage blocking both the north and southbound lanes of Wildcat Canyon Road with several injured occupants.


View Lakeside Incidents and Story Map in a larger map

The collision was between the front of one vehicle and the passenger side of the other vehicle in what is commonly referred to a a T-Bone collision.  All occupants were still in the vehicles, one of which required extrication to be removed.

The accident scene lit-up by Rescue 3

In total, there were three occupants in the two vehicles.  All occupants sustained injuries and were transported by firefighter-paramedics to area trauma centers.  The extrication was carried out quickly and efficiently by the crews from Rescue 3, Engine 2 and Engine 27 while Engine 1, Medic 1, and Medic 27 worked to provide patient care during the incident.  This incident is an example of cooperation between two bordering agencies that respond to several calls per year together.  Through mutual training, crews from both agencies know what roles they will fill on scene and are familiar with the equipment that will be used from both agencies. The Lakeside and Barona Fire Departments have a long history of a close working relationship on many different types of incidents.

This vehicle sustained a side impact and required the "Jaws of Life" to extricate the patient

The door was removed to aid in extricating the patient

The cause of the accident is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.


Story by:  Engineer Bernie Molloy, Lakeside Fire District

Medics use Technology to Identify Cardiac Patients in the Field

On Monday, March 1st, 2010, Lakeside Station #3 units (Johnstown) were dispatched to a local supermarket for a "non-specific" medical assist call. On our arrival we made contact with a very pale and anxious patient that described a simple episode of feeling "faint." But given the appearance of the patient, and the concern of his wife, we suspected that this episode might not be as simple as a case of "fainitng."

The attending Paramedic, Bryan Peters, made the decision to run a 12-lead EKG in the store. A 12-lead EKG gives medics a multi-lead summary of the current electrical activity of the heart and provide key information as to the possibility of cardiac injury, which requires immediate care in the field.

As the paper coiled out of the monitor the suspicions were confirmed, this was not a case of simple fainting but rather a silent myocardial infarction. The medics quickly called the Sharp-Grossmont base station (medical control for paramedics in the East County) and received a barrage of initial treatment orders.

As ominous as this might sound, recent advances in cardiac care now minimizes loss of cardiac muscle, and have significantly decreased hospital stays with the early introduction of treatments designed to restore blood flow to the cardiac muscle. In this situation the patient was appropriately transported to the Sharp-Grossmont Chest Pain Center were the emergency room MD confirmed the diagnosis and the patient was swiftly sent to the "Cath Lab" where circulation is quickly restored to the affected portion of the heart.

A key ingredient to this success story is the introduction of advanced electronics into devices taken into the field by today's paramedics. Not only are these devices able to monitor multiple angles of the heart, but the on-board computer is going to give you a pretty accurate diagnosis of any irregularities. Not too long ago medics were using primitive "switching boxes" to trace these different leads. There was no computer analysis of the rhythm, only the sound judgment of the paramedic to analyze the rhythm.

The other point we need to make is simply this, not all heart attacks present with classic chest pain. Some, as in this case, present with simple fainting, vertigo, or an episode of trouble breathing. If you, or a loved one, experience any unexplained medical event that concerns you then you need to activate your local EMS provider by calling 911 immediately.

Currently in Lakeside all ALS ambulances, and engine companies, carry this technology and are capable of initiating advanced cardiac care.

Submitted By: Captain Mark Grow, Lakeside Fire District