East Kingston Fire Department Working to Educate the Public About Importance of Plaistow Paramedic Intercept Program

EAST KINGSTON – Chief Ed Warren and the East Kingston Fire Department are working with Plaistow Fire Chief Chris Knutsen to educate the public about the importance of the Plaistow Paramedic Intercept Program. 

The Plaistow Paramedic Intercept Program was created last year in March thanks to generous contributions from philanthropists and community partners. It was created to fill a life-threatening gap in care that was created when Beth Israel Lahey Health Hospitals bought Exeter Hospital and closed its regional paramedic intercept program. 

The closure of that program left communities across the Seacoast facing a future without advanced paramedic care, which often saves lives in the most traumatic and serious medical emergencies. 

Paramedics can provide emergency room-level care in the field, can administer advanced medications and perform advanced medical procedures that other EMTs and firefighters cannot perform. 

Paramedics from the service almost certainly saved the life of a car crash victim in East Kingston last year. 

The Plaistow Paramedic Intercept Program is run out of the Plaistow Fire Department, but its budget is completely independent from the department’s regular budget, and stands on its own. 

The program was initially launched with approximately $5 million in funding from Exeter Hospital, the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and philanthropists. It now provides 24/7 coverage from three paramedics to over a dozen Seacoast communities, including East Kingston. The program bases paramedic vehicles in Plaistow and Brentwood, with the goal of responding to and intercepting any serious medical or trauma calls. 

In its second year of operation, the program is looking to move beyond philanthropic and community partner funding, which is not sustainable, and into a sustainable model of funding by member communities. 

The request made of taxpayers would be just $15,000 in the first year, increasing by approximately $15,000 per year for each of the first five years of service to about $80,000 in the fifth year. 

Last year the service was activated 4,325 times, administered 5,356 doses of medicine, and performed 8,478 procedures. 

This spring, Town Meeting voters in communities across the Seacoast will be asked to provide taxpayer funds to keep the program alive, and Chiefs Warren and Knutsen spoke to community members to inform them how the program works and why it is so important. 

“I want to be very clear: This program saves lives, and will continue to save lives as long as it remains in operation,” said Chief Warren. “Advanced paramedic care brings emergency room level care to traumatic scenes across our region, and it is a level of care that we simply can’t replace or provide on our own without absorbing exorbitant costs.”

“We will not be able to continue providing this service without long-term, sustainable funding,” said Chief Knutsen. “We’re hoping a robust public education campaign will help us ensure voters in every community make their decision about funding this while armed with the facts and a thorough understanding of what they’re voting on.”

For more information about the ALS program, visit the East Kingston Fire Department website here.