Life-saving Measures
PICTURED ABOVE
Kenton County Capt. Gary Helton, left, and Officer Travis Bryson show off one of the medical equipment backpacks used by each officer at KCPD. Each officer with KCPD is a certified medical first responder through the American Safety and Health Institute’s Emergency Medical Response Program. (Photo by Michael Moore).
Law enforcement officers across Kentucky often arrive on a scene where a citizen is experiencing a medical emergency. While many officers have basic first aid skills, the members of the Kenton County Police Department have taken it one step further by becoming certified medical first responders through the American Safety and Health Institute Emergency Medical Response program. This certification allows KCPD officers to render more than just basic first aid to citizens.
“We’ve had the certified first responder (CFR) program since the early 2000s,” Capt. Gary Helton said. “It is a step beyond basic first aid … it’s advanced medical care.”
The certification allows Kenton County police officers to respond and treat various medical situations, including CPR, using automatic external deliberators (AEDs), trauma care, oral, nasal airways, oxygen administration and suctioning, Helton explained.
“This certification is just below emergency medical technician certification,” he elaborated. “It's a testament to the dedication of every officer with the county police, who undergo a 40-hour training. We have a contractor (with the Independence Fire Department) who teaches our classes. We ensure we stay updated (with training) with 12 hours annually. Every quarter, we conduct training for continuing education.”
KCPD requires all 37 sworn officers – from the chief down to the newest officer – to complete the course.
To become certified, officers must complete the 40-hour CFR course and maintain continuing education with 12 hours of training each year. During the training, officers are tested using both practical and written exams, which they must pass to receive their certification.
Upon completing the 40 hours of training, officers receive a $1,000 incentive pay from the Kenton County Fiscal Court, Helton said.
“The fiscal court and county administration have also been very supportive, and they have sent officers to become certified in basic EMT,” Helton explained. “I was the first officer to be sent to become a national registered emergency medical technician. We've sent a couple of other officers, and we're looking to send more officers in the future. We currently have an officer who is a nationally registered paramedic. He was a paramedic in his previous career, but that has translated to helping us expand our program.”
Gap Filler
One of the primary reasons KCPD elected to seek CFR was the dynamics of the county to which it responded.
“We're responsible for covering approximately 90 square miles,” Helton said. “We respond to the southern part of Kenton County. Much of that area is covered by the Piner-Fiskburg Fire District. Their response time from their firehouse to the most eastern-northeastern side of the county is approximately 12 to 18 minutes.”
Using the example of a heart attack, Helton stated the obvious – every second is precious.
“We are that first lifeline to start getting initial care and relay that (information) to dispatch,” Helton continued. “We can start looking at how the patient is trending until the medic arrives. Then, we give the information to the medic. We can give the medic a full picture of what we’ve been seeing with the patient so they can assume treatment.”
Helton said that the program has seen great success, as KCPD officers have been instrumental in aiding citizens of Kenton County.
“On Jan. 1, 2024, Sgt. Aaron Schihl responded to assist the Independence Fire District with a (citizen) who was reported to be non-responsive,” Helton said. “Sgt. Schihl arrived on the scene first, and the patient was found to be non-responsive. Sgt. Schihl deemed that the patient had no pulse and initiated CPR as a life-saving measure. This treatment choice was spot on.
“Sgt. Schihl assisted the fire district units throughout the process by conducting compressions during CPR, and the medical staff on the scene provided other advanced life-saving measures,” Helton continued. “Due to the size of the patient, the advanced compression devices were not able to be used, which meant that manual CPR had to be performed for the duration of the code. With the combined efforts of manual CPR compressions, which were outstanding, and advanced life-saving measures, the patient did regain a pulse and was transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital.”
By the Numbers
Statistics from KCPD show that the program has positively affected its community as officers routinely respond to medical emergencies and are equipped to help until fire or EMS arrives.
During the calendar year 2023, KCPD officers responded to 29,966 calls for service. Of those, officers responded to 2,144 medical calls, according to Helton.
“That averaged out to 5.87 medical calls for service a day,” Helton said. “If you took out all our traffic, special details, and special area checks calls, that takes our total calls for service down to 9,649. So, the 2,144 medical calls represent 22.21 percent of our adjusted calls for service. So yes, medical calls are frequent.
“It just underscores the need for this in our area,” Helton continued. “That’s a significant number. It’s a value-added for our citizens. When we walk in the door carrying our bags, their loved ones will be OK; at least they have that chance to be OK.”
Also, in 2023, Kenton County officers successfully used the AEDs five times.
Program Support
Helton said officer buy-in to the program wasn’t a hard sell because serving people is an aspect of the profession.
“They embrace it because our nature, as law enforcement, is to help people,” he explained. “That goes beyond the law enforcement side of it.”
(Photo by Michael Moore)
Each Kenton County police cruiser has a blue and fluorescent yellow backpack with medical equipment.
“We have a pretty good-sized oxygen cylinder because one of the best things we can give many patients is oxygen,” Helton said. “Just giving them oxygen helps them calm down, and it increases their blood saturation levels.”
Other equipment includes C-collars, cervical spine support, different-sized bandages, oral-airway kits, blood pressure cuffs and other trauma supplies.
Recently, the department purchased 27 new fully equipped backpacks. Each backpack cost $425 and was paid for using a Department of Justice grant.
The cruisers are also equipped with AEDs.
“They are lifesavers,” Helton pointed out. “Having early access to the AEDs is game-changing, especially in the southern part of the county.”
Helton said area fire departments and emergency medical services have embraced the police department’s program because the overall goal for each branch of public safety is to keep their citizens safe.
“The fire departments have been very receptive,” he said. “They love that we go out on every squad call, even if it is just to carry the bag for them. That is a help to the firefighters.”
Additionally, when officers are out on the scene, Helton said it is not uncommon for them to retrieve equipment from fire trucks when asked.
“When they say, ‘Hey, can you get this out of our squad?’ We know what they're talking about,” Helton explained. “One of the things that we do with our training is we learn how to get the (stretchers) out of their squads. They're now electric and powered, and you don't have to lift them, but they can be difficult to get out if you don't know what you're doing because you must press buttons.”
In addition to fellow first responders, Helton said the feedback from the public has been just as positive.
“We get a lot of great positive, public feedback because our community really loves that. It's not just about law enforcement,” he said. “They know that we really do care about public health and the safety of our citizens.”
Helton cited another example of the program’s benefit to the Kenton County community that occurred in March 2023 when officers responded to a call and found an unresponsive male. After performing CPR, the officers made the decision to use the AED, and they shocked the patient twice. The officers restored his heartbeat. Their efforts saved the person’s life, and when emergency medical services arrived, the man was transported to the hospital, where he recovered.
Tool for Law Enforcement
Having officers trained as certified first responders has added to the value Kenton County citizens receive from KCPD, Helton said.
Helton said after identifying the need, one of the first steps is finding a local agency (fire, EMS, hospital) to partner with.
“We’ve been very blessed to work closely with the Independence Fire Department, and Chief Scott Breeze,” Helton said. “Our partnership with them has grown over the years. Lt. Sean Fortney is our current instructor, and he does it in his free time. (IFD) is very supportive of our program. Also, Saint Elizabeth Health Care has been a huge supporter of us.”
Helton said Saint Elizabeth has helped with everything from training to resupplying items such as Narcan and other supplies.
“Identifying those community partners to help you with the training and to get you started is important,” Helton said. “And then the agency really must go all in. They must allocate money because the bags and required training are not cheap.”
