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Sierra Ambulance is there for Mountain emergencies

Fire in the mountains: Part II

By Vanessa Rakis-Garabedian / Community Correspondent

(Updated: Thursday, June 11, 2009, 5:58 PM)

When it comes to preparing for emergencies such as wildfires, earthquakes, floods and storms, a number of organizations, agencies and volunteers are ready to act.

Those include Madera County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol, Community Medical Center Oakhurst, Kaiser Permanente, Madera County Office of Emergency Services, Sierra Telephone, Animal Rescue, Madera Search & Rescue, Cal Fire and Sierra Ambulance.

But for over four decades, Sierra Ambulance has played an important role in local emergency preparedness.

It all started in 1964 with a 6-year-old Cadillac ambulance. From its humble beginnings Sierra Ambulance has provided continuous emergency ambulance service for 45 years in the Oakhurst area.

A group of volunteers recognized a need for a local ambulance service and started Sierra Ambulance. Prior to Sierra Ambulance the area received service from Madera.

"It's grown over the years," general manager Ed Guzman said. "From one ambulance and all volunteers to paid professional paramedics." Harry Baker Jr., one of the original founders and the owner of Sierra Telephone, bought the organization's first ambulance. The group raised money to pay Baker back for the vehicle.

While Sierra Ambulance is still a nonprofit organization, the operation has expanded to three locations: near Bass Lake, Coarsegold and Oakhurst.

"As the area's grown, so has our staff and the number of our stations," Guzman said.

The organization has six ambulances. Three ambulances are on-call and are each staffed with two paramedics around the clock. The other three ambulances are backup.

"There are many good providers of paramedic service throughout California and the country," Guzman said. "But we are one of the few that was established as a non-profit organization." Guzman explained that as a non-profit organization, Sierra Ambulance works a lot like the Red Cross or a hospital. The organization bills for services but it also does not deny services to anyone unable to pay.

"Any revenue that we earn goes back to the services," Guzman said. "There is no profit." While this business model can sometimes make it tough to run the company, Guzman said keeping the company non-profit benefits the community.

"It helps to provide a higher level of care and to keep costs down," he said. "There's nothing inexpensive about ambulance transportation, but the money that you pay is only what it costs to run the service." Sierra Ambulance publishes its finances for the employees and for the community to show that there is no hidden money being used somewhere else, Guzman said.

"I enjoy working for an organization that is completely transparent," he said.

In addition to trying to keep costs down, Sierra Ambulance takes quality of service very seriously.

"People are not getting a second-tier level of service just because they're in the mountains," Guzman said.

The ambulance service is not necessarily the first responder that jumps to mind when talking about emergencies such as wildfires. However, in the event of a wildfire, Sierra Ambulance is prepared to assist in evacuation procedures, said operations supervisor Christopher Ferbrache.

An incident command system would be set in place by fire officials, coordinating with local emergency services including the ambulance. Ferbrache said the ambulance would act as the medical component in the emergency protocol, helping with any medical problems and assisting residents unable to leave their homes on their own.

"We are just one part of the whole picture of a community trying to help," Ferbrache said.

Sierra Ambulance is the only ambulance service in the Oakhurst area and the only provider for Yosemite; the closest hospital is in Fresno.

"Sierra Ambulance is a vital part of the community," said Jolene Elizalde, the administrative assistant for the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce.

The organization has been a member of the chamber since 1994.

While its primary role is to provide medical services and ambulance transportation to the community, Sierra Ambulance aims to encourage the health and well-being of the people in the Oakhurst area.

"Our mission is not just to provide emergency ambulance services," Guzman said. "Our mission is also to promote public wellness and to reduce injury and illness." The organization does that by partnering with various groups and organizations throughout the community.

Sierra Ambulance provides a community education program teaching CPR and first aid at no cost to community members.

The organization also teaches accident and injury prevention in schools. Employees teach "Stop, Drop and Roll" in conjunction with the local fire department; 9-1-1 awareness and the importance of bike helmets.

Sierra Ambulance provides free standby ambulance services to large events that benefit the community, such as the Coarsegold Rodeo and Yosemite High School home varsity football games.

"We try to be as involved as we can," Guzman said.

Complaints about boredom are not common around Sierra Ambulance, Guzman said.

"You never know what to expect," he said. "That's part of what makes the job interesting." Guzman remembers when an episode of "Rescue 911" was filmed in Oakhurst. The accident involved two swimmers who were diving at Angel Falls. One swimmer hit his head on a rock and was left unconscious; the second swimmer broke his leg but was still able to pull the unconscious swimmer to safety.

When the episode was filmed, the show's crew re-enacted the scene with stuntmen, Guzman said. "It was quite interesting watching them get the cameras and gear up to Angel Falls," he said.

Guzman has been a paramedic for 10 years and loves the profession, but said there's nothing quite like knowing the people he serves.

"We enjoy taking care of people in our own home town. That's something that paramedics in a large town just don't get," Guzman said. "We're seeing our neighbors and people from our church families. Even if we don't (see) them today we will see them tomorrow around town or at the grocery store.

"It makes you feel good. That's really a wonderful thing up here. It's a tremendous reward. I think it makes you a better provider because you have ownership in the community. You get that little extra -- a smile, a handhold or just the comfort of a recognizable face that you don't get when you're just in a big town."