EMERGENCY

DISPATCHES

Broadcasts about these fire and ambulance calls were monitored this past week by the newspaper:

JAN. 25

11:34 a.m. — A Hillsboro Community Hospital patient with acute respiratory failure was to be transferred by Hillsboro ambulance to Wesley Medical Center, Wichita.

However, Hillsboro ambulance was taken out of service for unannounced reasons, presumably a mechanical problem, as the ambulance or one or more of its attendants later were picked up at Midway Motors in Hillsboro.

Marion ambulance was assigned to the transfer, but it was diverted to another call. Ambulance officials then said they would activate a backup ambulance based in Marion but at 12:51 p.m. assigned the transfer to Peabody ambulance.

Peabody ambulance departed for Wesley at 1:16 p.m., nearly two hours after the initial call. On its return, it initially was told to stop at Midway Motors but instead was diverted to a call at Salem Home before going on to Midway.

12:34 p.m. — En route to HCH, Marion ambulance was diverted to Bomgaar’s farm store in Hillsboro, where a man in his 60s or 70s who recently had received a cardiac stent was having unspecified difficulties. He was taken to HCH.

3:46 p.m. — After completing its transfer to Wesley, Peabody ambulance met Hillsboro ambulance, which previously had identified itself as having first-response capability only, at Salem Home in Hillsboro, where a 55-year-old woman was complaining of back pain. An attendant from Peabody ambulance evaluated her, and she was taken to HCH by Hillsboro ambulance with Peabody ambulance proceeding to Midway, then back to Peabody.

6:58 p.m. — An asthma sufferer identified by code words as being a COVID-19 patient was taken by Hillsboro ambulance from the 400 block of E. Case St. in Lehigh to an undisclosed hospital.

7:21 p.m. — A 67-year-old woman who fell and hit her head in the 700 block of N. Locust St. in Peabody was checked by Peabody ambulance attendants, who helped load her into a private vehicle for transport to St. Luke Hospital, Marion, after she declined to be taken by the ambulance.

Marion ambulance also had been called but upon hearing before it arrived that she was be transported by private vehicle asked to disregard the call. After briefly stopping at the Peabody ambulance station, it returned to Marion. Peabody ambulance then announced that it would not have a full crew for the remainder of the day.

7:24 p.m. — HCH asked that once Marion or Hillsboro ambulance became available, a patient be transferred from there to Salina Regional Health Center. Recordings do not indicate whether the transfer was competed.

11:02 p.m. — A 34-year-old woman with abdominal and chest pains and identified by code words as being a COVID-19 patient was to be taken by Marion ambulance to St. Luke from the 1100 block of Highland St. in Marion.

However, Marion ambulance reported having mechanical problems and summoned Hillsboro ambulance to assist. Just as Hillsboro ambulance arrived, the patient declined to be taken by ambulance and decided to go by personal vehicle.

Without explanation regarding its mechanical problems, Marion ambulance returned to its quarters and announced that it was available for calls. Hillsboro ambulance returned to Hillsboro.

JAN. 26

6:39 a.m. — An 80-year-old woman who fell the day before at a farmhouse near 220th and Kanza Rds. was taken to Newton Medical Center by Hillsboro ambulance.

5:48 p.m. — An 85-year-old woman was transferred by Hillsboro ambulance from Salem Home to HCH. Details of the call were garbled on both the newspaper’s main and backup recording systems.

THURSDAY

10:53 a.m. — An unreported trash fire near 80th and Alamo Rds. was investigated by a Goessel firefighter and determined to be under a land owner’s control.

11:27 p.m. — A 58-year-old woman in and out of consciousness and having chest pains in the 100 block of Kansas St. in Lincolnville was taken to Herington Hospital by Marion ambulance. Lincolnville first responders assisted until ambulance personnel arrived.

FRIDAY

10:09 a.m. — A smoke alarm at Salem Home was determined to be a false alarm from cooking before Hillsboro firefighters could respond.

5:02 p.m. — A person injured in a two-vehicle accident on Indigo Rd. south of 160th Rd. was taken to HCH by Hillsboro ambulance. Marion ambulance and Hillsboro firefighters also responded. Although newspaper monitoring equipment picked up all their transmissions, HCH and Hillsboro ambulance were unable to communicate via radio during the call because they were using different radio settings.

SATURDAY

8:07 a.m. — Fire along a hedgerow near 40th and Vista Rds. was extinguished by Peabody firefighters.

11:26 a.m. — A 90-year-old woman suspected of having a stroke at Parkside Homes assisted living in Hillsboro was taken to HCH by Hillsboro ambulance.

1:51 p.m. — A 54-year-old man coughing up blood at a residence in the 400 block of S. 4th St. in Marion was taken to St. Luke by Marion ambulance. The ambulance had to ask dispatchers for the location, which had been omitted in the original page.

4:45 p.m. — A confused 85-year-old man with back pain was taken by Hillsboro ambulance to Wesley from Parkside Homes.

SUNDAY

4:58 p.m. — An uninjured 56-year-old woman who fell at an apartment in the 400 block of N. Ash St. was helped up by Hillsboro ambulance attendants. She declined to the taken to a hospital.

MONDAY

1:08 p.m. — A grass fire near 270th and Sunflower Rds., just east of Pilsen, was extinguished in little more than an hour by Lincolnville and Marion firefighters. Marion firefighters were called after Lincolnville firefighters initially did not respond. Tampa firefighters also were called but later were told to disregard the call.

2:46 p.m. — Less than an hour after returning from the fire near Pilsen, Lincolnville firefighters were called out for a second, much larger grass fire just east of Lincolnville near 290th and Wagon Wheel Rd.

Lost Springs and Marion firefighters almost immediately were added to the call, with a Marion police officer warning of low tire pressure on a tanker that just passed by him.

Within half an hour, after firefighters determined there were multiple fronts to the fire and several homeowners reported that their homes were being threatened, Durham, Herington, Ramona, and Tampa firefighters also were paged, and Tampa ambulance was dispatched to stand by.

Lincolnville firefighters provided a radio to Herington firefighters so they could communicate directly with Marion County departments rather than having to relay messages through dispatchers.

Firefighters remained on the smoky, windswept scene for almost four hours.

8:04 p.m. — An unattended fire in a trash can at 2nd and Main Sts. in Marion was quickly extinguished by Marion firefighters.