The Fairhaven Fire Department provides Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to the citizens and visitors of the Town of Fairhaven. Daily operations and training are handled by the Acting Captain of EMS & Training Paul Correia.
Fairhaven is classified as a Heart Safe Community.
The EMS Division is licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Public Health. All applicable regulations & protocols can be located by clicking here.
Medical Director | Dr. Matthew Bivens
- Associated Physicians / Harvard Medical Faculty Physician
- Southcoast Hospital Group – St. Luke’s Hospital
- 2017 Southcoast Man of the Year
The Medical Director is required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They oversee the general operations, quality assurance/quality improvement, and training of all EMS providers and the 911 Emergency Medical Dispatch protocols.
Ambulances:
- 3 – Class 1 Ambulances certified to the Advanced Life Support Level.
Personnel:
- All firefighters are dual trained to provide fire suppression as well as emergency medical services
- 31 Full-time personnel/12 Part-time personnel
- 12 First Responders (Basic First Aid)
- Basic EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) provide basic first-aid; basic airway management; extrication and administration of 6 basic medications.
- Paramedics provide advanced life support including airway management, cardiac care, strokes, and can deliver up to 39 different type of medications.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, through its Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) and the American Heart Association, aim to help the Commonwealth’s cities and towns improve the chances that anyone suffering a sudden cardiac arrest will have the best possible chance of survival by strengthening what the American Heart Association has called the “chain of survival,” which has four critical steps:
- Early access to emergency care. Bystanders recognize the symptoms of cardiac arrest and call 9-1-1 immediately.
- EMS Dispatchers are equipped with instructions for the caller and can get an Advanced Life Support (ALS) vehicle to the scene quickly.
- Early CPR – CPR, when properly administered, buys precious minutes until a defibrillator is available.
- Public knowledge and awareness must be increased so that those trained in CPR will actually use it when it is needed.
- Early Defibrillation – Defibrillation is the delivery of an electric shock to restore the heart’s normal rhythm.
- Early defibrillation is considered to be the most critical link in the chain of survival.
- Early advanced care – Advanced care is delivered by an Advanced Life Support vehicle staffed by paramedics.
- Medications and oxygen therapy delivered by paramedics can be critical to the survival of cardiac arrest victims.
Fairhaven has met all the criteria necessary to receive the HeartSafe designation by having all the necessary personnel trained in cardiac arrest procedures; emergency response vehicles (both police and fire/ems) equipped with defibrillators and all operators trained in their use; and the proper amount of equipment and personnel for a town of Fairhaven’s population. Only those cities and towns so qualified can post the “Heart Safe Community” signs at their borders.
All billing is handled by a 3rd party. To request information regarding your bill, submit insurance information, or request a copy of you bill please contact;
Ambulance Records Request:
- All record requests from attorneys must have original, valid, legible patient authorization release.
- All patients are entitled to pick up a copy of their report in person. Photo Identification is required.
- Fee: $20.00 (Checks payable to Town of Fairhaven – No credits cards are accepted at this time)
Fairhaven Fire Department
Ambulance Records
146 Washington St.
Fairhaven, MA 02719
The Blue “Star of Life” — The Emergency Medical Care Symbol
Designed by Leo R. Schwartz, Chief of the EMS Branch, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the “Star of Life” was created after the American National Red Cross complained in 1973 that they objected to the common use of an Omaha orange cross on a square background of reflectorized white which clearly imitated the Red Cross symbol. NHTSA investigated and felt the complaint was justified.
The newly designed, six-barred cross, was adapted from the Medical Identification Symbol of the American Medical Association and was registered as a certification mark on February 1, 1977, with the Commissioner of Patents and Trade-marks in the name of the National Highway Traffic Safety and Administration. The trademark will remain in effect for twenty years from this date.
Each of the bars of the blue “Star of Life” represents the six system function of the EMS, as listed below.
The snake and staff in the center of the symbol portray the staff Asclepius who, according to Greek mythology, was the son of Apollo (god of light, truth, and prophecy). Supposedly Asclepius learned the art of healing from the centaur Cheron; but Zeus – king of the gods, was fearful that because of Asclepius knowledge, all men might be rendered immortal. Rather than have this occur, Zeus slew Asclepius with a thunderbolt. Later, Asclepius was worshipped as a god and people slept in his temples, as it was rumored that he affected cures of prescribed remedies to the sick during their dreams.
Asclepius was usually shown in a standing position, dressed in a long cloak, holding a staff with a serpent coiled around it. The staff has since come to represent medicine’s only symbol. In the Caduceus, used by physicians and the Military Medical Corp., the staff is winged and has two serpents intertwined. Even though this does not hold any medical relevance in origin, it represents the magic wand of the Greek deity, Hermes, the messenger of the gods.
Who may use the “Star of Life” symbol? NHTSA has exclusive rights to monitor its use throughout the United States. Its use on emergency medical vehicles certifies that such vehicles meet the U.S. Department of Transportation standards and certify that the emergency medical care personnel who use them have been trained to meet these standards. Its use on road maps and highway signs indicates the location or access to qualified emergency care services. No other use of the symbol is allowed.
Each of the six “points” of the star represents an aspect of the EMS System:
- Detection
- Reporting
- Response
- On Scene Care
- Care In Transit
- Transfer to Definitive Care
The staff on the star represents Medicine and Healing.