Cumberland Kiwanis
Minutes of August 30, 2010
Craig Doporcyk and Randy Schamberger
Speakers: Doporcyk and Schamberger, Cumberland
Emergency Services
Topic: Emergency Ambulance Services for the
Cumberland Area
Cumberland Emergency Services
has three ambulances available 24/7.
The staff is in a constant training mode, ready to respond to any 911
call in an area including ca. 475 square miles.
As an example of the
performance of the service, Doporcyk cited the response to a recent storm which
struck the Eagle Point Campground.
Within 20 minutes all three ambulances were on the scene, despite the
dark due to loss of power and the weather. Fortunately, there were no major injuries even with all the
property damage. The Fire
Department was also quick to respond and many of them provided volunteer help
the next day to clean up the damage.
The pair responded to a
number of questions, such as ÒWho calls in a helicopter?Ó Usually the County Sheriff is
responsible, with four different helicopters available on call. When a situation occurs, a helicopter
is launched and ready to come if needed.
Past practice has let do too many launching, so rules are being
tightened to save money.
ÒWho notifies campers
regarding impending storms?Ó Now
there is only the siren. They are
working on a better system.
ÒIs GPS used to locate
incidents?Ó Yes, all agencies are
equipped to use GPS location.
Appreciation for all the
emergency work done by the services was expressed by the Kiwanians.