The Menominee Tribal Rescue Service provides 24-hour ambulance service for the reservation and county.  A medical emergency is a case where you cannot move the victim because of severe illness or an injury that threatens the victim’s life or limb. 

If you have a medical emergency,

call Menominee Central Communications at 799-3881. 

Tell the dispatcher:

1.     Location: House number, street, road name.

2.     Telephone number you are calling from.

3.     What happened.

4.     How many persons need help.

5.     Condition of victim(s).

6.     What is being done for victim(s).

If you have an injury or illness that is not life-threatening and are unsure what to do, call 799-3881 and ask to speak to an emergency medical technician (EMT).  You also may call Shawano Medical Center (526-2111) and ask to speak to the doctor on call for the Menominee Tribal Clinic.

The Menominee Tribal Rescue Service provides Basic Life Support Services along with the advanced skills of cardiac defibrillation, advanced airway management combi-tube, and administration of epinephrine for anaphylactic shock caused by allergic reactions. Some of the more common basic services include doing a patient survey/exam, gathering medical history information, administration of oxygen, glucose, charcoal, application of bandaging and splints, immobilizing of injured patients using various types of equipment,  and transport to a medical facility when needed. Our service deals with a wide variety of illnesses and injuries. Some of the ways these injuries occur are by motor vehicle accidents, four wheeler, bicycle, boating,  rafting,  falls or other accidents at home, work, school, the casino and all other public places, and second party inflicted violence. Some of the more common medical illness related calls include heart attack and/or chest pain , stroke, diabetes, respiratory problems, high fever mainly in children, and a number of chronic illnesses.We also provide first aid services as time permits for area events such as school sports and several different Pow-Wows. This has been done on a volunteer basis. Ambulance stand-by services for events at the casino such as music festivals and the boxing events are covered on a paid basis.

In February of  2002 we trained for and began using the new Medications approved by the State of Wisconsin for use at the EMT-B level. Since then we have been using the following skills / Medications. (1) Emergency Medical Treatment of Hypoglycemia With Glucose Monitoring and Administration of Glucagon,

(2) Administration of Aspirin for Chest Pain Believed to be of Cardiac Origin, and

(3) Administration of Nebulized Albuterol for the Emergency Medical Care of Severe Asthma.

During the period of February 2003 through June 2003 we have trained at the new State level of EMT-Basic-IV-Technician. We received our license to provide this level of care on August 11^th 2003  and we began operating at the EMT-IV-Technician Level. At this new level of service we will now be able to start IV’s on patients pre hospital when the patients condition warrants it. We will be able to administer Narcan for suspected overdose, and Dextrose for diabetic patients with low blood sugar.  IV bolus may be ordered in some cases for fluid replacement such as major trauma and for dehydration. We have standing orders for starting IV’s and administration of any medications or an IV bolus requires medical control from the hospital physician. We obtain this permission by phone or ambulance radio.

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Make the Right Call!

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EMS stands for Emergency Medical Services.  Call EMS immediately when you think someone is badly hurt or suddenly became sick and in danger.  Just ask yourself the following questions:

1.    Is the victim’s condition life-threatening?

2.    Could the victim’s condition worsen or become life-threatening on   the way to the hospital?

3.    Could moving the victim cause further injury?

4.    Does the victim need the skills or equipment of Emergency Medical Technicians?

5.    Would distance or traffic conditions delay in getting the victim to the hospital? 

            Don’t call EMS for non-emergencies like for going to a doctor’s appointment, getting a scraped knee bandaged, or filling a prescription do not require professional EMS assistance.  Calling EMS for non-emergencies ties up the system and makes it harder for EMS personnel to do their jobs – responding to serious emergencies.  But if you’re not sure if it is an emergency – CALL EMS. 

            Call 799-3881 when you need an ambulance.  The main thing is to remember to stay calm.  Be prepared to give the location, nature of problem, your name, and phone number.  Don’t hang up until the dispatcher tells you to.  They may need additional information or need to give you instructions.