HOUSTON COUNTY – COTTONWOOD: 3:00 PM. Houston County 911 dispatched Cottonwood Fire, Cottonwood Rescue, Houston County Sheriff Deputies to a four wheeler accident. The location was Dyras Road and Burl Lee Road.
Cottonwood Volunteer Fireman Paul Hughes was first on the scene. Hughes reported an overturned four wheeler had one person entrapped. Within seconds behind Hughes was Cottonwood Volunteer Fireman Chief Randy Hall and multiple members of Cottonwood Volunteer Fireman and Cottonwood Rescue. Houston County Sheriff Deputies were quick on the scene.
The ATV was quickly removed from the patient. At the this time the best information available the patient, age unknown, suffered two broken legs and a broken femur. Cottonwood Volunteer Fire Chief Randy Hall mutual aid requested Dothan Fire Department advanced life support to assist Cottonwood Rescue. Chief Hall instructed Houston County 911 to notify Dothan Fire that EMS would take Highway 55 to Highway 84 at Ashford then west to Southeast Health.
Cottonwood Rescue department the scene at 3:12 PM, transporting emergency, under a trauma alert. They intercepted Dothan Fire enroute to the Hospital. Dothan Fire Engine 4 ( Southside ) intercepted and boarded Cottonwood Rescue to assist with advanced life support care.
At this time it is unknown to RSN if ALEA- Troopers investigated. They would have only if the accident was on the roadway.
INTER AGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.
At 3:08 PM the mutual aid requested Dothan was made for Dothan Fire to responded with Advanced Life Support. It was three minutes and Dothan Fire was enroute.
Dothan Fire Department operates on a Motorola P25 radio system. In what was suppose to be a $ 5 million dollar “joint” communications center it is only a “co-located” and not a “joint” communications Center. Houston County operates on a UHF Digital radio system.
Dothan Police Chief Will Benny and the Dothan Police Radio Shop were able to configure a way that Dothan Police and Houston County Sheriff Department, from the P25 Motorola radio, could turn over and talk on Houston County UHF Digital radio to Sheriff Deputies.
When Rickey Stokes learned that, Stokes went to the Dothan Police Radio Shop and asked could that be done on the UHF Digital Radios that the Volunteer Fireman and EMS works on. They advised it could but the cost would be $ 3,000.00 plus some. Stokes them went to Dothan Police Chief Will Benny to see if there would be a problem. And there was not.
Stokes then went to Dothan Fire Chief Larry Williams to see if he approved, And he did. Stokes then went to the Houston County Volunteer Fire Chief Association which approved the measure and paying the cost.
TODAY, while responding to the mutual aid request, Dothan Fire Engine 4 was able to switch over and talk with the EMS unit and co-ordinate to meet.
Not trying to give myself a pat on the back. But it is exciting to know that I played a role in mutual aid communications to work and all worked as designed. That gets e excited when all goes like it is designed for what is best for the patient.
PATIENT CONDITION.
Other then the injuries described the condition is unknown.
