Poudre Valley Hospital announced today that Steve Main has been named manager of emergency medical services.

“Steve is one of the best in the field of emergency medical response,” said Kevin Unger, PVH president and CEO. “We’re fortunate to have his expertise and experience to lead our emergency response efforts that are so vitally important to our region.”

Main will oversee a staff of 75 paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other staff members. In addition, the service has 100 non-paid EMTs who donate their time to help the ambulance service cover public events.

The service has 15 ambulances and four other vehicles used for emergency response, transporting non-emergency patients and standing by at public events where emergencies could arise. The service covers the northern two-thirds of Larimer County, about 2,200 square miles. The service works closely with the Poudre Fire Authority and volunteer emergency responders in Red Feather, Poudre and Rist canyons, Wellington, and other areas in the northern part of Larimer County.
Main joined PVH in 1988 as a paramedic. For the last five years, he has been a shift supervisor.

He received his EMT training in 1983 and became a paramedic in 1985 in Florida—and now he looks back on how emergency response has since evolved into a profession with highly trained responders and high-tech equipment that can diagnose and treat patients as they are transported to a hospital.

“When I first started as an EMT in Florida, I was told, ‘Here’s your radio, this is your partner, there is your ambulance, here are your keys,’ and that was my orientation,” he recalled. “Since then, EMS has become more professional every year. Our service at PVH has strived to remain at the cutting edge of training and technology.”

PVH ambulances are equipped with advanced technology that many of America’s ambulances lack: an Autopulse system that helps maintain blood flow to a patient in cardiac arrest; capnography diagnostic equipment for patients in respiratory distress; and, among other equipment, 12-lead electrocardiograms that allow paramedics to identify cardiac problems on the way to the hospital.

“It’s a whole new ball game since I started as a paramedic 25 years ago,” Main said. “The people we serve are the ones who benefit.”
--PVHS--