Establishing a Paramedic Service in the Cincinnati Fire Department
In 1972 the Rescue 52 Committee was formed to determine how to bring paramedic service to all the municipalities in Hamilton County. This included training some 1000 providers across the county to the level of paramedic. The first phase of the project involved training 23 Cincinnati Fire Department squadmen as paramedics at Cincinnati General Hospital. The Rescue 52 Committee was named for Cincinnati's first fire department rescue company which began operation in 1916. As part of their research, members of the committee visited existing medic systems in Columbus and Seattle.
The Rescue 52 Committee
Dr. Robert McMaster, Chairman - Stewart Creelman - Randall Garland - Robert Van Fossen
Thomas Bittenbender - George Loeber - Jerry Ransohoff - Laurence H. Kyte Jr.
Cincinnati Fire Chief Bert Lugannani - Miss mary Flugstad - Dr. Donald Romhilt - Scott Stoelting
The Rescue 52 Project aimed to improve mobile emergency care in Cincinnati. Equipment for the initial phase of the program was purchased with funds solicited by the Cincinnati Association of Life Underwriters and included over $80,000 in contributions. The first group of Cincinnati Fire Department squadmen began training in June 1973. The course was coordinated by Dr. Donald Romhilt, a cardiologist, and physicians associate Richard Turner and was given at Cincinnati General Hospital. Training included 48 hours of on duty time and 160 hours of off duty work. Early medics learned to establish IV's, administer drugs, and produce and read electrocardiographs that could be transmitted to the hospitals from the field. Medics were also able to defibrillate patients in cardiac arrest and were in radio communication with physicians at the hospital.
First CFD Members Trained as Paramedics
Capt. Roland Hulley - Lt. Chester Busham - Lt. George Wells - John Yeager - William Rinear
Ralph Rengering - Robert Williams - Vincent Ehemann - Thomas Herbert
William Nackenhorst - Robert Becker - Joseph Voegele - Roger Moore
Gary Kearsey - Bernard Klaene - Raymond Voss - Ralph Stelter - William Tolle
Robert Bee - Kenneth Durbin - Billy Snape - Charles Scherrer - Lester Lindsey
CFD Medics Lt. George Wells & Bill Snape on Rescue 24 in Price Hill
Photos Courtesy Cincinnati Fire Museum - Kappa Family Collection
By the end of 1973 the Cincinnati Fire Department operated two ambulance units (Rescue 01 which ran out of the 14s quarters at 430 Central & Rescue 02 which ran out of the 09s quarters on Reading Rd). Plans were in place for an expansion of the departments EMS services with a group of 21 members having largely completed training as paramedics and equipment and apparatus on order. The planned expansion called for operation of 1 heavy duty task unit (Squad52), 2 paramedic units, and three rescue (basic) units. Expansion of the EMS program was expected to reduce the number of transports made by Cincinnati Police Scout Cars, then a common mode of transport to the hospital for minor cases.
Left: New Style CFD Ambulance units purchased for the EMS expansion - Right: Police scout cars used for patient transports
Photos Courtesy Cincinnati Fire Museum
In 1974 Rescue 01 & Rescue 02 continued to operate from their previously assigned locations and now offered paramedic service. Three additional Rescue units (18, 24, and 38) were also placed in service providing basic service and expanding the departments ability to meet the needs of the community. Outside of the City of Cincinnati, Gary Miller of the Red Cross was appointed by Dr. McMaster to share information in an effort to begin to expand the program throughout Hamilton County.
CFD Rescue 38 members Ron Schramm and Charlie Scherrer in operation at an EMS run
Courtesy Stelter Family Collection
On April 4, 1976 the department moved forward with a realignment of emergency medical services. Rescue 01 remained in its location at 430 Central but was renamed Rescue14. Rescue 02 was disbanded. Rescue 18 was moved to Hyde Park and renamed Rescue 46. Rescue 24 and 38 remained in their previous locations. All of the rescue units were made paramedic units at this time. The four paramedic units made 16,332 runs in 1976 compared with 16,250 in 1975.
CFD Table of Organization 12/31/1976 - 4 Paramedic Rescue Units
With the additional services provided by Cincinnati Fire Department paramedics, the needs of the community would continue to grow. In 1978, to further standardize quality and care, the Cincinnati Fire Department generated the first paramedic operations manual in the nation. By 1979 the department was utilizing fire engine companies as first responding units throughout the city and by the end of that year, Cincinnati paramedics working with the University of Cincinnati Paramedic Program had trained over 200 additional medics working throughout Hamilton County. The stage was set for the CFD to assume full control of city Emergency Medical Operations in the next decade. Soon the police scout car would be a thing of the past as national standards would come to dictate emergency medical transportation.
