Cumberland Goodwill EMS

Marking a Historic Milestone

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:49:14 +0000

Two of our current fleet of ambulances

On May 10th, Cumberland Goodwill will mark the 85th anniversary of the first motorized ambulance being placed in service in Carlisle. A $5,000 Donation made by Mrs. A. F. Bedford to the Carlisle Hospital marked the beginning of a tradition that continues to this day. According to company archives, Mrs. Bedford made a donation to fund both a sunroom addition and an ambulance for the hospital. The motorized vehicle replaced an older horse drawn carriage that had been in service since 1921. The new ambulance was to be housed at the Cumberland Fire Company on East Louther Street and was officially placed in Service May 10th, 1927.

Unidentified unit, 1916 Ahrens-Fox, unknown year Buick ambulance, 1927 Dodge ambulance in front of Cumberland Fire Company around 1940.

The Cumberland Fire Company would later assume responsibility for all ambulance operations. The ambulance service, now a subsidiary of the Cumberland Fire Company, became known as Carlisle’s Community Ambulance. When the Cumberland and Goodwill fire companies merged May 1st, 1984, ownership of Carlisle’s Community Ambulance was transferred to the new entity, Cumberland Goodwill Fire & Rescue. In 2000, Carlisle’s Community Ambulance became a full part of Cumberland Goodwill Fire Rescue EMS Inc., and in 2005 the ambulance service formally adopted the name Cumberland Goodwill EMS.

1954 and 1947 Cadillac ambulances in front of Cumberland Fire Company in 1958.

In recent history, Cumberland Goodwill’s fire and rescue divisions with Empire Friendship Firefighters Association to create Carlisle Fire and Rescue Services. Cumberland Goodwill EMS became an independent company, providing emergency medical services to the Carlisle area. In 2009, the company moved into a new station at 519 South Hanover Street in Carlisle. The company continues to evolve, having added services like a first responder rehab, first aid and community training, medical equipment sales, non-emergency routine transports, bariatric support services, and a chaplain’s program.

Ambulance Memberships are available now!

On January 1st, 2010 Cumberland Goodwill started an advanced life support paramedic service in addition to the longstanding basic life support ambulance service. The company now has a total of six ambulances in service, with a seventh and eighth planned to be placed in service later this year. Other vehicles at the station include two paramedic squads, three transport vans, two support vehicles, and an all terrain vehicle.

On September 8th, 2012 Cumberland Goodwill will be hosting an 85th anniversary open house celebration. More information on this event will be available from our website, www.cumberlandgoodwill.org as the date draws nearer. The company thanks everyone in the community, from Mrs. Bedford to the present, for supporting our emergency medical service for over eight decades.

Chromebooks In Service

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:28:14 +0000

Paramedic Sam Robinson working on one of the new Chromebooks

Last year, Cumberland Goodwill began exploring how Google’s Chromebook’s could help our providers in the field. Last month, three new Chromebooks were put into service at our company. Primarily utilized at standbys, trainings, or on scheduled transports, these Samsung Series 5 Chromebooks have already made an impact on our company’s communications abilities.

All three of our new Samsung Sereis 5 Google Chromebooks!

Google Chromebooks provide a quick access to the web. With collaborative services like Google Docs, Google Drive, and all of the Google Apps Suite available to our domain, we’re able to operate efficiently and effectively no matter where we may be located. With EMSCharts providing a secure, web-based interface and Verizon’s fast 4G LTE coverage available on two hotspots, these Chromebooks enable our providers to work from the field, access a wide variety of information, and collaborate with other employees no matter where they may be.

A Chromebook helped run a mass casualty exercise at the Carlisle fairgrounds.

Chromebooks have been used already to run a scenario that simulated a mass casualty incident at the Carlisle Fairgrounds. They’ve been put into service at Car Shows, with a web-based log that keeps track of all attendees that receive first aid. This enables management to determine (in realtime) if more or less staffing is needed for an event. They’ve been used to complete charts on the return leg of long-distant transports and are set up with remote-desktop capabilities to control any workstation at our main station.

A Verizon 4G hotspot, able to connect multiple mobile devices on a high-speed LTE network

In addition to the extreme web-based collaboration that these Chromebooks provide, Chromebooks are more cost-efficient than regular laptops. There is no antivirus software needed, no legacy software applications to install locally on the hard drive, and one user’s profile is automatically synced from the cloud to any Google Chrome session- even from a Chromebook to a desktop browser window. Apps, bookmarks, preferences are more are securely stored and available anywhere a user logs in. With everything accessed from the web, there is no worry about a Chromebook losing data that is stored locally. Chromebooks update themselves, provide a safe sandboxed browsing session, and are incredibly fast.

One of three new Chromebooks added in April

You can find more information Google’s Chromebooks by clicking here. More information about Verizon’s 4G LTE Hotspots are here. We’re excited to have the opportunity to put this new technology to use. If you have any questions on how Chromebooks can work in EMS, feel free to contact us using this form.

April Fools 2012- Cumberland Goodwill Launches New Aeromedical Service

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:07:12 +0000

Please Note: The following post is our April Fools 2012 gag! No, we’re not starting a blimp service at this time! You can view our other past April fools jokes by clicking here!

After weeks of preparation, Cumberland Goodwill EMS is proud to announce that our new Aeromedical Service will begin permanent operations starting April 1st, 2012. In an effort to keep fuel costs low and provide a truly unique service to the Carlisle community, we’re publicly introducing Blimp 40, the area’s first and only EMS Blimp.

Housed at the Carlisle airport, Blimp 40 has many additional capabilities that modern helicopters lack. In addition to greater fuel economy, Blimp 40 is able to accommodate larger bariatric patients or carry multiple patients at once. This new unit will also be utilized for special event standbys, hoving over stadiums in the Carlisle area with trained providers able to rappel down in the event of an emergency. Blimp 40 will also provide aerial coverage for major incidents that require the use of our rehab. Blimp 40 will perform aerial drops of water, food, and supplies for first responders on the scene of major incidents.

Providers have recently completed a 16-hour course in blimp operations provided by Dr. Conan Goodyear. covered included landing zone operations, pilot training, and a brief overview on weather operations. Patient’s transported in Blimp 40 can rest assured that their caregivers have the most advanced Blimp-based EMS training available in the State of Pennsylvania. In addition to this rigorous training, Blimp 40 carries all the same supplies as found in one of our ambulances and can travel to any hospital in the area with blimp-landing capabilities.

We’re excited to put Blimp 40 into full service on today, April 1st. For a few months, we’ve been testing different models to find the best fit for our agency. Blimp 40 will expand our capabilities and gives us more efficient long-haul capabilities. We’re able to transfer sick and injured patients to hospitals quickly, safely, and in style. Be sure to keep an eye out for this new unit around the Carlisle area!

Technology Upgrade Started

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:46:16 +0000

Providers using our new computers

Cumberland Goodwill EMS is currently in the process of updating all of our technological capabilities. Each quarter of this year, company 40 is adding, modifying, and replacing older equipment to help our providers take full advantage of the latest innovations to help them work more efficiently. In the first quarter of 2012, all the current workstations are being replaced. In their place are new, custom-built desktop systems featuring the latest Microsoft operating system and software.

Thanks to the generosity of the Microsoft Corporation and Techsoup.org, our company has received over $13,000 in software donations, including Windows 7 Professional and Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010. We’re excited to put the latest tools into the hands of our EMTS and Paramedics.

One of the new computers

During this update, a wide range of computers, some running old Intel Pentium 4 chips, were replaced with computers built in house. These new machines are more upgradeable and user-serviceable, show a tremendous improvement in speed and responsiveness, and are able to handle many of the web applications commonly found all over the modern internet. These new units have double the memory and a speedy AMD A6 processor with built-in GPU.

We plan on introducing even more improvements throughout the year. By the end of 2012, our company will have a new server that supports desktop virtualization and mobile computing capabilities that can be deployed in the field. Stay tuned for more later!

Happy Holidays from Cumberland Goodwill EMS

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:32:15 +0000

Helping Santa with a delivery

All of us at Cumberland Goodwill EMS would like to take this time to wish you and your families a very happy holidays! We couldn’t have had the year that we did without your help!

We’re thankful for the support we’ve received from our community this past year and are looking forward to continue our service to our neighbors in 2012. We also wanted to thank all of those who helped us collect Toys for Tots this year! We were able to provide a little over one bin of new, unwrapped toys for distribution to needy children in our area, helping to make their holiday merry and bright! Heres for best wishes this holiday season, be safe, and have a very joyful New Years! Be sure to visit us at First Night Carlisle starting at 6:45pm on December 31st in Downtown Carlisle!

Toys for Tots!

admin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:58:07 +0000

Help kids in need this holiday season! Support Toys for Tots at our station!

Cumberland Goodwill EMS is once again participating in the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program for the Carlisle Area! You can drop off a new, unwrapped toy in the box at our station, 519 South Hanover Street, in Carlisle and help needy families in our area! We’ll also be appearing in the Toys for Tots parade through downtown Carlisle on Monday, November 21st at 7pm. Please be sure to support this great cause!

2012 Ambulance Membership Drive!

admin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:55:22 +0000

Ambulance Memberships are available now!

Our 2012 Ambulance Membership Drive will be arriving in mailboxes around the area within the next few days! You can purchase a membership immediately by clicking on this link. Ambulance memberships are a great way to support your local EMS agency and save a lot of money!

Ambulance memberships are a way for our agency to give back to those who help us now. If a member is transported to a hospital in an emergency, they are not responsible for any out of-pocket costs for ambulance services once any amount of payment is received from Medicare or a third party insurer. This has helped save members $55,000 over the first 9 months of 2011! An ambulance membership is not a replacement for insurance. It does not cover aeromedical transportation and generally does not cover non-emergency routine transportation services. For additional details, contact us during regular office hours

Check out Cumberland Goodwill’s 2011 Video!

admin — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:38:04 +0000

We're hiring- do you have what it takes?

We’ve been looking for EMTs and Paramedics to join our team and serve our community, do you have what it takes? We’ve put together this video to give you a taste of what life is like with our company, check it out and enjoy! If you’re interested in joining our organization, head over here to download and fill out an application!

Thanking Our Sponsors

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:25:02 +0000

A picture from our recent Yard Sale

We’d like to take a time out to thank some of the agencies, organizations, and groups that have helped us with events and donations so far this year. We thank them for their support of local, community-based emergency medical services. We hope to continue to expand this list in the future, and are happy to have such a great and supportive community!

Yankee Candle of Carlisle
Face Forward
Holiday Hair of Carlisle
Knisley’s Pet and Farm Center
Carlisle Country Living/Agway
Giant Food Stores
Pretzel Spot Cafe
Georges Flowers
Midway Bowling
Midway Skating
Cumberland Drive In
Bruster’s Ice Cream of Carlisle
Georgie Lou’s Retro Candy and Gifts

August Spotlight: Introducing “FortyWater”

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:23:45 +0000

Introducing FortyWater!

If you’re not already familiar with our organization, you’ll know that one of the specialty services we provide is a first-responder “Rehab” unit. Our Rehab provides rehydration, monitoring, shelter, and a large volume of equipment that can be put to use in mass-casualty situations. Our Rehab has responded to multiple fire calls, law enforcement investigations, and other special emergencies and continues to be an in-demand service to the Carlisle Area and in areas as far away as Lewistown Borough. To help support these Rehab operations, which are available 24/7, 365 to any first responder who requests it, we’ve developed “FortyWater.”

The full compliment of our Rehab, deployed with an ambulance and our UTV

FortyWater, created with the help of Filson Water, helps you directly support our operations by purchasing a bottle of water. Your purchase then goes into the same fund that enables us to give a bottle to a first responder on the scene of a major incident. This get-a-bottle, give-a-bottle program will help us ensure that our local first responders are well hydrated, healthy, and safe on the scenes of emergencies. You’ll be directly supporting the men and women who serve their community no matter what. The number one cause of death for firefighters continues to be a heart attacks. Our Rehab service aims to prevent such tragedies, and now you can be a part of this noble cause as well.

Pickup FortyWater from our station or have it delivered!

FortyWater is available at our station for $1 a bottle or $15 for a case of 24. If you are ordering more than 2 cases, we are able to deliver them within a 10-mile radius by calling 717-249-0012 ext 7011 between the hours of 9am-3pm, Monday through Friday. All proceeds benefit our Rehab service. Please help us help others and consider picking up some FortyWater today!