Bridging the Gap From Rural Trauma to Rural Healthcare: Fire Department Education Sessions

Many rural communities within the United States rely upon volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel in emergency response scenarios. However, it has been found that "medical direction in rural EMS was identified as a major issue for a majority of states" within America. With the consideration that some firemen can arrive on the scene ~15 minutes before an ambulance, a gap exists in time and skills where knowledge of basic emergency response techniques could equip firefighters to assist EMS personnel in life-sensitive scenarios.

Our study took place in Parkston, South Dakota with a volunteer crew of ~ 30 firefighters and EMS personnel. Outside of their pre-scheduled bi-weekly meetings, our study provided further training for firefighters with various emergency response skills. Three nights of training were provided with pre-and post-surveys administered for each training station, analyzing confidence levels on a five-point system. Mean pre- and post-training confidence levels were obtained. Standard deviation, standard error, 95% confidence interval, and percent increase in mean confidence levels where calculated. Grouped bar graphs were plotted and analyzed for statistical significance.

With the exception of two stations in night 2, all remaining training stations in nights 1, 2, and 3 demonstrated a statistically significant increase in mean confidence levels for each skill being taught.

Based on the data obtained from this study, a statistically significant increase in mean confidence levels per training station demonstrates value in continued delivery of rural training sessions to firefighter personnel. As firefighter and EMS numbers across the United States continue to decline, timing is becoming increasingly more important in emergency response scenarios within our country's rural communities. Creating confident firefighters that are trained in skills beyond basic first aid and CPR may provide immense value for the continued evolution of rural emergency healthcare.