Resident and EMS Fellow Response Vehicles

The medical support units (MSU-1 and MSU-2) Resident and Fellow Physician Response Program is a unique partnership between the Department of Emergency Medicine at WMed, the Kalamazoo County Medical Control Authority (KCMCA), and our two hospital systems, Beacon Health and Bronson Healthcare. The program places a senior (PGY-2 or PGY-3) Emergency Medicine resident physician and/or EMS fellow in a dedicated response vehicle for a 24-hour shift. MSU-1 is staffed 24/7/365 whereas MSU-2 is staffed based on 48 hours of EMS fellow home call per week. The physician response units are directly dispatched by the Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority (911 Center) for responses to multi-casualty incidents, cardiac arrests, significant traumas, tech rescues, and other major EMS incidents. In this way, residents and fellows learn first-hand how EMS operates. Residents and fellows develop the face-to-face relationships with our responders that allow them to more effectively interact during high-stress incidents. Residents and fellows are considered field medical control physicians and are authorized by KCMCA to direct all aspects of prehospital care.

Additionally, they handle medical control consultation calls from paramedics with Kalamazoo County, Yellowstone National Park, and Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Residents may take MSU-1 home at night. While faculty physician consultation is always a radio click/phone call away, this program affords residents tremendous autonomy and responsibility. Few residency programs in the nation provide this degree of EMS field experience.

MSU-1 Equipment/Systems

• Communications and Navigation
  • 800 MHz mobile radio on Michigan Public Safety Communications System
  • VHF mobile radio
  • 800 MHz portable radio
  • VHF fire pager
  • iPhone with FirstNet cellular data service
  • iPad with FirstNet cellular data service
  • Active911 app provides dispatch information, GPS routing, and real-time tracking of MSU-1 and county first responders
  • Crewforce app is a two-communication app that interfaces with the 911 center, providing scene/dispatch details, live GPS tracking, and routing information
• Mass Casualty and Special Response
  • MCI Trauma Pack
  • Multi-port oxygen manifold
  • Chemical Antidote Kits
  • Radiation and volatile organics detectors
  • Carboxyhemaglobin oximeter
• Personal Protective Equipment
  • Nomex fire resistant turn out coats
  • Helmets with eye protection
  • Gloves
  • ANSI high visibility vests
  • Ballistics vest

   
• Medical Equipment
  • Standard BLS and ALS equipment
  • Advanced procedure bag:
    • EZ-IO device
    • RSI meds
    • Igels (pediatric and adult sizes
    • Cricothyrotomy kit
    • Chest tube set
  • ALS drug bag
  • Lifepak 15
  • Portable ultrasound
  • GlideScope

  

MSU-1 FAQs

• I don't have an EMS background; will that be a problem when working on MSU-1?
  No. Most of our residents don't have previous EMS experience. Residents receive extensive hands-on training before hitting the street in MSU-1.
• How do the paramedics feel about having residents responding in the field?
  Our EMS community has been very receptive to MSU-1. Frequently paramedics request MSU-1 respond to scenes that they believe to be particularly educational. Many paramedics realize that this is a wonderful opportunity for them to directly influence how emergency physicians view EMS.
• Don’t ride-alongs in EMS units achieve the same thing as MSU-1?
  Doing EMS ride-alongs is a good way to expose residents to EMS. However, in most ride-along programs, residents are passive observers, not active participants. Also, the unit the resident is assigned to may not be catching "the good" calls. MSU-1 is an integral part of our EMS system, serving as on-scene medical control. The unit is available, and expected, to respond to all of the major EMS incidents in the county.
• What if the MSU-1 resident has a complicated case where they need advice?
  While MSU-1 residents are encouraged to make autonomous decisions, attending-level advice is never more than a radio click or phone-call away. There is an on-call EMS faculty member each day.
• Is there a chance to sleep during a 24-hour MSU-1 shift?
  We realize how important sleep is to residents. Between 2300 and 0800 HRS, residents do not Kalamazoo County medical control radio consult calls, although they may still get an occasional National Park consult. Residents are still on call to respond to major EMS incidents, but overnight these occur relatively infrequently. Generally, if MSU-1 is asked to respond during the night, it is well worth losing a few hours of sleep. Thus, during evening hours, MSU-1 is essentially “home call.”
• Do residents need to live within Kalamazoo County?
  Residents do need to live within Kalamazoo County in order to ensure a timely response time.
• What authority do MSU-1 residents have on scene?
  Residents are considered to be medical control physicians and operate as representatives of the Kalamazoo County Medical Control Authority.