Field Support Specialist Justin Barnaby Loading EMS Kit Into Car-8
By Megan Boisvert, City of Sanford Communications Coordinator
Sanford Fire & EMS has been awarded $747,272.72 in funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. With an additional required city contribution of $74,727.28, the grant represents a total investment of $822,000 in the future of Sanford’s emergency medical services. This highly competitive grant will allow the department to significantly expand its paramedic training program.
The grant will cover the cost of paramedic school, compensate employees for their time in training, and provide funding to cover staffing needs while they complete their education.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our department,” said Assistant Fire Chief Smith, who prepared and submitted the grant application. “We’ve typically been able to send one or two employees to paramedic school each year. With this grant, we’ll be able to train more than 12 over the next two years. This puts us approximately a decade ahead of where we would have been otherwise.”
Paramedics are the highest level of prehospital emergency medical providers in Maine, trained to administer medications, interpret heart rhythms, manage airways, and perform lifesaving procedures. Through these Advanced Life Support (ALS) services, Sanford Fire & EMS can provide critical medical care to patients experiencing serious emergencies before they reach the hospital.
The Assistance to Firefighters Grant is a competitive federal program with funding priorities that change each year. When paramedic training was identified as a priority for this grant cycle, it aligned directly with one of the department’s long-term goals and came at a pivotal time for Sanford Fire & EMS. As longtime personnel retire and other members of the department step into expanded roles, developing the next generation of paramedics becomes increasingly important.
“We need to continue developing our personnel from within,” said Fire Chief Scott Susi. “It’s important that we have the mentoring and training in place to help them develop and succeed.”
To support this effort, Sanford Fire & EMS has established four new EMS Field Support Specialist positions, also known as Car-8. These positions will provide additional paramedical leadership and support for the department’s emergency medical operations, with one experienced paramedic assigned to each of the department’s four rotating shifts.
In addition to mentoring personnel and coordinating continuing education, the Field Support Specialists will oversee medication management, inventory, quality assurance, and other important EMS operations. Their roles are especially important as changes stemming from the federal Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act of 2017 and related Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations have prompted MaineHealth to change how medications are supplied to local EMS agencies.
Previously, Sanford Fire & EMS relied on MaineHealth for all medications used in emergency medical care. Under the new system, the department is responsible for obtaining, managing, and tracking its own medication supplies in order to continue providing Advanced Life Support (ALS) services.
“Imagine you’ve just been in a serious car accident and need medication to manage your pain before being transported to the hospital, or you’re experiencing a cardiac emergency and need lifesaving medications. These are examples of the Advanced Life Support services our paramedics provide that depend on having access to the right medications,” explained Chief Susi. “With the changes to how medications are supplied, we’ve had to take on additional responsibilities to ensure those medications remain available. The Car-8 program helps us manage these responsibilities so our department can continue providing the same level of advanced medical care our community depends on.”
Together, the federal grant and Car-8 program will help Sanford Fire & EMS train the next generation of paramedics while providing the mentorship and support they need to succeed.
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