Princeton Packet
27 April 1983

Aid Squad responds to 15% more calls

Princeton First Aid Squad Capt. J. Edwin Obert reported that calls for the first quarter of 1983 were up 15 percent over the first quarter of 1982. The squad has answered 359 calls so far this year, an average of four calls a day.

There were 109 calls in March, 98 of which were emergency dispatches, nine routine transports, and two miscellaneous calls. Twenty-one of the .patients were experiencing’chest pain or respiratory distress; three were in cardiac arrest.

Capt. Obert reported that twenty-four of the calls were for persons with injuries, nine from motor vehicle accidents, six from falls and the rest from a variety of other causes. Four patients were in acute psychotic states and six were experiencing anxiety-related symptoms.

Three patients had taken acute overdoses. Four patients had experienced epileptic seizures, and eight had had syncopal episodes (fainted) his report said.

In seven of the 26 mobile intensive care unit (MICU) calls, the patient’s condition was markedly improved or dangerous heart rhythms were treated. Sixteen of the MICU calls were classified as, “precautionary measures” in which the patient’s bean rhythm was monitored and usually an intravenous line was established. Unsuccessful attempts were made to revive three people in cardiac arrest.

Thirty-seven of March’s calls were in Princeton Borough, 46 in the township, and 26 were mutual aid calls. Squad members served 393 hours on calls and drove the vehicles a total of 946 miles. The paid day crew handled about 45 percent of March’s calls, usually augmented by volunteer members.

Princeton Lifemobile continues to be second only to the Trenton unit in county MICU calls handled (97 through the end of Mach), the report said.