45th Parallel EMS

The daily operations of the 45th are run by the Chief and Senior Staff.  The 45th Parallel EMS is a non-for-profit, 501(C)3 company with oversight of  a volunteer board of directors. The board members are chosen from the towns the 45th serves, the medical resource hospital, the fire departments it works alongside and two at large members that the board votes on.

 

The 45th Parallel EMS currently employs:

6 full-time paramedic, 3 part-time paramedics,

3 part-time Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMTs),  

6 full-time Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), 7 part-time Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)

 There are limited resources available to the 45th Parallel EMS so, many of the employees take on extra responsibilities such as: training officer, building manager, inventory management, media management and vehicle maintenance.  Shifts worked can be 12 hours up to 48 hours.

 

Running an ambulance service in the rural areas that comprise Northern New Hampshire and Vermont can create serious challenges related to a lack of resources. The 45th Parallel specializes in wilderness/rural medical and as a result has established a fast response system using members of the local fire departments. This system allows providers living in multiple towns to respond to emergencies and provide initial care of the patient while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. The 45th Parallel EMS also works closely with these area fire departments to aid in rescue operations such as vehicle extrication, ATV/snowmobile rescue, high angle rescue, swift water rescue, and many other types of emergencies.

 

The 45th also transfers critical care patients to tertiary care facilities all over New England such as Dartmouth Hitchcock,  Catholic Medical Center, Boston General, University of Vermont Medical Center Burlington.  Many of these inter-facility transfers may take a crew 7 to 10 hours to complete for a round trip. Weather conditions can be especially challenging from the north country for facilities in southern and western New England areas.