KEYPORT— The next time the Keyport FirstAid Squad volunteers are called into action, they will be accompanied by a new piece of medical technology designed to facilitate on-site assistance.
Medical Ambulance Bus (MAB) No. 6, only the second in Monmouth County, arrived at the squad’s headquarters in December and was put out for public inspection at the Borough Council’s Jan. 1 reorganization meeting.
“This can be used for an unfortunate event that may take a long time [to stabilize] but where not everybody on the scene needs to be transported to a hospital,” Keyport First Aid Squad President Tom Gallo said in an interview Dec. 29.
“Up to 20 people who need minor care can be put on this thing and be served by emergency medical technicians [EMT], paramedics and anyone else capable.”
The bus is designed to provide for the transport of mass casualties, medical evacuation, incident rehabilitation or support for longterm emergencies.
Within the bus are 20 oxygen outlets, defibrillators and monitors for carbon monoxide and various medical supplies.
The MAB’s arrival on the Bayshore was the result of work between various first aid squads and offices of emergency management.
Gallo said the bus itself was funded by the Department of Homeland Security and is under the control of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
The borough of Atlantic Highlands will provide emergency medical services (EMS) staff and EMTs to work on the bus, though it will physically remain in Keyport.
The bus can respond to any medical situation, from automobile accidents to natural disasters, Gallo said.
Themost direct impact the MAB brings to a scene is the freedom it gives to medical personnel at a normal medical scene, when oftentimes as many as six ambulances and their crews are forced to respond.
“Generally in a smaller event, you have one EMT, one driver and one ambulance. If a person has to be taken to the hospital, that EMT leaves the scene and is no longer of advantage to anyone else. So, you need to call in multiple ambulances and multiple EMTs,” Gallo explained.
“If an EMT can decipher that somebody just needs some on-site treatment, the MAB relieves multiple ambulances and EMTs from having to depart.
“The serious victims will go [to a hospital], but the bus can still serve as a respite for somebody who just has a minor injury. It’s a big relief [regarding] the number of ambulances,” he said.
Injuries such as minor cuts and bruises or anxiety from an automobile accident could be treated on the MAB, Gallo said.
“When you think about a multicar crash, the people in the back are generally just shaken up. Maybe they have a pre-existing condition and get panicky or nervous. If that can be treated on the bus, you’re not sending an EMT and an ambulance off the scene,” he said.
“We can evacuate 20 people from the scene to a hospital. This can be a tractor-trailer accident. This could be a long-term fire in the Pine Barrens, where firefighters are expending energy for days,” he said.
He referred to a fire that broke out in Elizabeth on Dec. 21 and took three days to control.
“The bus can be used for rehab. That fire up in Elizabeth for three nights is typical. If it had been minus 20 degrees, those people [would] need to be checked out frequently for frostbite, exhaustion and everything else.”
Until the MAB is called to a scene, Gallo said the Keyport FirstAid Squad is focused on supplies and training staff how to use the bus effectively.
“We stocked our bus with medical supplies. It’s got its own generator, which the mechanics have to be familiar with. We had a couple of people in the last week take driver’s training courses. Some members are already qualified, and we’ve got some members who already drive fire trucks,” Gallo said.
“We’re hoping we never have to take it out but, unfortunately, we know that’s going to happen.”