PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1995, emergency medical services (EMS) response times in urban areas of Illinois typically averaged four to six minutes while rural EMS response times were twenty minutes or more. Rural highway crashes usually resulted in increased response time to the crash scene as well as longer transportation times to appropriate care facilities. In order to effectively reduce mortality and morbidity from traffic crashes in rural Illinois, it was necessary for emergency medical technicians (EMT's) operating in rural areas of the state to receive additional training in pediatric and adult trauma care and defibrillation.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The EMS Defibrillation Project was developed in 1996 through the collaborative efforts of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Division of Traffic Safety. The project's primary aim is to reduce the rates of serious injury and death resulting from rural highway crashes through improved EMS training and equipment, coupled with a public information and education campaign targeting occupant restraint use by EMS personnel.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
IDPH and IDOT selected twelve Illinois counties to participate in the EMS Defibrillation Project, based on factors such as high numbers of motor vehicle crashes, rural location, and accessibility to an EMS resource hospital and trauma center(s). Each of the twelve rural county EMS providers was provided with a Defibrillation Heart Start unit for use in their community.

Staff from local EMS Resource hospitals conducted trauma/defibrillation training for EMS providers in each of the target counties. All local EMS providers were educated to deliver optimum emergency care to cardiac arrest victims and pediatric trauma victims.

After training sessions have been completed, emergency personnel who have received training through the EMS Defibrillator Project participate in a six month data collection project using a specialized ambulance reporting form.

Along with defibrillator training, IDPH and IDOT staff developed and delivered a massive public education campaign emphasizing the importance of occupant restraint use by EMS providers.

RESULTS As a result of the EMS Defibrillator Project, EMS providers throughout rural Illinois have received training in defibrillator use to treat cardiac arrest victims and emergency treatment for victims of pediatric trauma. A total of 12 Defibrillation Heart Start units were purchased in 1996 for use by rural EMS providers. An additional defibrillator was placed in the EMS Lending Library and is used by other volunteer services for training personnel.

FUNDING   Section 402: $50,000 CONTACT     Steve Esslinger Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety 3215 Executive Park Drive Springfield, IL 62794-9245 (217) 782-5865