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By Jean Murray
Times-Junction Correspondent
The Willard Fire and Rescue Department has a new weapon in its arsenal to help save lives and property. The new equipment did not cost the city of Willard anything but it is hoped its use will prove to be priceless.
“Midwest Industries donated a prototype Big Country all terrain utility vehicle to the Willard Fire Department,” said Willard Fire Department Assistant Chief Joe Reiderman.
Midwest Industries had done a prototype of the vehicle, Reiderman explained and that particular unit was being used for parades and other events.
During a building inspection, the fire department saw the vehicle in a warehouse, and Reiderman said they inquired about it.
“Initially, we asked Midwest about the possibility of the Willard Volunteer Firefighters’ Association purchasing the vehicle for the department to use on calls,” Reiderman explained. “We knew with the financial situation of the city, they would not be able to find money in the budget for the vehicle. So, the Willard Firefighter’s Association made the decision to try and purchase it.”
Reiderman said he spoke with Brian Gardner, manager of Midwest Distribution Center, who said he would check into the matter. About a week later, Reiderman said he received a call from Gardner.
“Brian said that he had some news for us,” Reiderman noted. “He said that Midwest did not want to sell the vehicle to the fire department.
“In the next sentence he said that Midwest wanted to donate the vehicle,” he added. “We were very happy about that. So, Midwest Industries made a donation of the Big Country vehicle to the Willard Fire Department.”
Reiderman said the new vehicle would be used at fire and rescue scenes, and it was recently put to the test at a difficult rescue scene.
“The Willard Police Department received a 9-1-1 call about a hunter having a possible heart attack in the marsh area near Section Line 30, and that was the initial information that we received,” Reiderman explained.
The first step taken was to immediately send a rescue squad unit to the scene. “Then,” added Reiderman, “we got the Big Country ready to go and headed to the scene.”
Once firefighters and rescue workers got to the location, Reiderman said the patient was approximately one-half mile in the woods and reaching him by any type of motor vehicle was virtually impossible due to the wet, rough terrain.
“When the first medic unit arrived on scene, we had one of our off-duty paramedics, Kevin Veletean, that met them there.”?Reiderman recalled. “Kevin and one of the EMT units started hiking back into the woods.”
Reiderman said Veletean was a hunter who was familiar with the area. “Kevin made initial contact with the patient, and from that point, he determined that we were going to need Life Flight on scene.”
The terrain, according to Reiderman, also posed a problem for Life Fight and would not be able to land near the patient. “We had to have Life Flight land on Section Line 30. We either had to carry our patient out or use the Big Country utility vehicle.”
Reiderman said Big Country was unloaded and loaded with additional gear and manpower and rescue personnel headed into the marsh area to the location of the patient.
“Using the utility vehicle to bring the victim back to the road where Life Flight was landing took probably less than five minutes,” said Reiderman. “Had we had to walk our patient out carrying a litter, that probably would have taken one half of an hour.”
Reiderman noted walking the rough terrain while carrying a litter posed potential problems. “There was potential for more injury to the patient to suffer as well as possible injury to one of the rescue personnel just from trying to get out of the area.”
Reiderman credits the new vehicle with getting the patient the much needed medical assistance in a much faster and safer way.
“Medical personnel want a possible heart attack patient in the cath lab in a time period of between 90 and 120 minutes,” added Willard Fire Department Supervisor John Weiss. “Ninety is optimal.”
Reiderman said from the time of being dispatched until Life Flight took off was just over one hour, well within the optimal time.
“We got him out of that situation in 70 minutes,” stressed Reiderman. “With a 20 minute flight to Toledo, we were right about at that 90 minute mark.
“Had we not had that utility vehicle, it would have pushed our patient over the 120 minute mark,”?he pointed out. “That, absolutely, could have made a difference between life and death or have done more damage to the heart muscle.
“The donation of this vehicle from Midwest has already made a difference in somebody’s life,” said Reiderman. “That’s worth its weight in gold.”
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