By Staff
Melissa Cason
Franklin County Times
RED BAY- A traditional business is considered by most to be a place where goods or services are sold.
The second part, service, is what one Red Bay business strives to provide for every customer – or in their case, every patient.
NorthStar Paramedic Services, Inc. is the only paramedic in operating fully inside the City of Red Bay. And, while paramedic services are not typically considered a business, it is a business – a very essential one.
NorthStar Paramedic Services, Inc. was founded by a paramedic in 1992 and currently serves eight counties, including Franklin County. The service has an office in Russellville and Red Bay.
While most businesses are concerned more about the bottom line, the employees of NorthStar are more concerned with patient care.
"If you owed us thousands of dollars, we would never know it and you would receive the same quality care," Paramedic Sherri Crowder said.
The paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians at NorthStar strive to provide quality emergency medical care for every patient.
Crowder said working as a paramedic isn't what it used to be. Today, there's more medical training, and treatment begins immediately rather than when you get to the hospital.
Paramedic Kristy Tidwell added that the current average response time inside the city limits of Red Bay is three to four minutes.
Paramedics attend classes for two years teaching them what to do in different situations.
"When you're in paramedic school, you run drills for different scenarios," Crowder said. "You find yourself running drills in your sleep."
NorthStar has one crew of two people ready at all times. The paramedics and EMTs work 24-hour shifts with 48 hours off.
"It averages out that you only work 10 days out of the month," Tidwell said.
Each crew has a paramedic and an EMT or two paramedics.
"We run double paramedic trucks now," Crowder said. "It used to be only a paramedic and an EMT but now we can run with two paramedics."
NorthStar in Red Bay currently employs six full-time employees and several part-time employees.