Medic calls drop in 2008

Medic calls in Thurston County, took a drop in 2008 from 2007 for the very first time ever.   Medic calls in 2007  were 11,540.  For the same period in 2008 Medic calls were 10,278, for a drop of more than 10 percent.

The decline has medic personnel scratching their collective heads.   Medic One Director Steve Romines said “we’ve never had a drop before.  We’re not certain if this is a trend or not.  We’ll have to see what this year brings.”

Calls were down all across the board.   Allergic reactions down 28 percent, assaults down 21 percent, deep burns down 38 percent, choking down 46 percent, strokes down 34 percent, motor vehicle accidents down 21 percent and chest pains down 9 percent.

Romines said that,  “maybe we’re doing a better job of education,” he said.  “Chest pains may be down because people are going to the hospital or calling their doctor.”

Some calls were up.  While Advanced Life Support was down 10 percent, Basic Life Support was up 9 percent.

But the drop in calls still has Romines wondering.    “We hope its a trend, but we really won’t know until we see the statistics for this coming year.  It’s still good news.”