Newspaper Page Text
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Photo/Tom Brooks
Emergency crews work to stabilize wreck patient before transport.
EMA: Preparing community to be safe
By Therese Allen
Staff 'Writer ]
•Bob, Lady, Forsyth County’s Emergency i
Management Director says “we have been very i
lugtiy,” Compared to it’s neighbors, Forsyth
saw minimal damage from storms and tor- l
in 1998.
preparation objectives for the future
a hazardous mitigation plan and the i
replacement of culvert pipes throughout the county ]
to Jipip ensure that damage from natural disasters
4s«J>dtained as much as possible. <
ifrit'year, Lady met with the principals of all 19
pubfit schools in Forsyth County. Each school has
signed an agreement to be a shelter in the event of
a natural disaster. Lady and the principals also dis
cussed where students would go within the
schools, should an emergency arise.
In 1993, Sawnee Elementary housed many resi
dents who found themselves without electricity or
fresh water during a particularly severe winter
storm.
A severe weather warning siren was placed on the
water tower in Cumming last year. The siren can
be> heard more than four miles away. In the event
of impending severe weather, the alarm will sound
arid hopefully resonate throughout the city limits
as a warning to seek shelter and listen to the radio
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HEALTH & SAFETY
Emergency services assist law enforcement
• **♦
By Colby Jones
Staff Writer
Anyone who has ever waited,
for an ambulance to pick up a
loved one knows a minute can
seem like an eternity.
It took employees of Advanced
Ambulance Inc. an average of
6.9 minutes to respond to the
emergencies of county residents
last year, said owner Jerry
Adams.
“That is one of the best
response times in the state at
least in the top 10 percent,”
Adams added.
The company, which began
providing emergency services to
Forsyth County in 1994,
responds to about 500 calls each
month, a number that keeps
increasing as the population of
the county soars.
Although many people move
here to escape the congestion
commonly associated with
Atlanta and its larger suburbs,
they inevitably bring their cars
and ailments with them.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s
or a television report for information. Lady said he
hopes to see the installation of a county wide warn
ing system at some point, though the expense for
such a system is great.
There are many devices available commercially
to warn of impending severe weather. One device
which hit the market last year is called a TAS, or
Tornado Alert System. This device looks similar
to a smoke detector and attaches to a transmitter
placed outside the home. Using sonar, the device is
supposed to “hear” the tornado before the human
ear and emit a loud piercing alarm that warns peo
ple that they have up to 90 second to take cover.
Research continues for more answers to severe:
weather questions. For now, the local emergency
management program and FEMA, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, are working
together to do all they can to educate citizens on
dealing with severe weather.
FEMA agent Jon D’Angelos said, “No agency
can protect us from a tornado or any other natural
disaster, but what we know about them can save
our lives.”
The FEMA for Kids website at
www.fema.gov/kids has information about devel
oping a disaster action plan for homes, and has
resources for learning more about severe weather
and other natural disasters.
Office and Advanced Ambulance
Inc. handled 30 fatalities on
county roads during 1998.
Paramedics from the ambulance
service also respond to heart
attacks, broken arms and fires
virtually any emergency that
requires a trip to the hospital.
Adams said Advanced
Ambulance Inc. will continue to
ensure its 50 employees are
equipped to deal with the coun
ty’s expanding needs.
“They are always attending
classes and exploring new tech
nologies,” Adams said.
The company currently oper
ates a fleet of 10 ambulances,
half of which are stationed at
various fire stations throughout
the county on an around-the
clock basis.
All are equipped with
advanced cardiac and life-sup
port units.
“We can’t upgrade any of these
ambulances because there is
nothing to upgrade them to,”
Adams said. “We plan to keep
training our employees and pro
viding quality care.”
I Slim Down For The Simmer i
A Safe and Healthy Way
T DOCTORS
1 W3foi ill woMcWti J ii i J J 1
Gerald M. Price, M.D. /]\
i
Cumming Gainesville / 'I
110 Old Buford Rd., Ste. 110 977 Enota Avenue, NE
(770) 888-0505 (770) 535-0066 ,Goorf >- h '^ e^ c o^ us only .
< .*
I Advanced. I
I Ambulance I
I Progress > I
■ Cpro-,gres)n. 1. Movement toward a goal. ■
■ 2. Steady improvement. . ■
Bi
“Advanced Ambulance has embarked on our 6 th year providing
emergency ambulance and a variety of other other services for |JJ
Forsyth County... Progress is our namesake and describes our
constant commitment to you and yours.”
Thanks Forsyth County for ' X
M your continued confidence. ry/z H
I /Advanced 770.844.4444 I
■ Ambulance In Emergency (Bal 911 ■
"Visit us on our awesome, new Web Site at
www.odvmKedenis.com
©Lassila LTD. 1998 I
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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, March 28,1999 —1
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Photo/Tom Bjxfcs
The ambulance service works with sheriff’s and fire department.
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