Tucked into an Overland Park subdivision, Squad 47 is hidden in plain sight
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It’s just another house at the end of the block, but the inside tells a different story.
The tidy ranch has several bedrooms, a cozy living room and a modern kitchen, but the occupants are not there to relax. Dressed in black uniforms and sturdy boots, they are ready to jump into action. Speakers chatter throughout the house, sounding updates and alarms in every room. A cherry-colored vehicle, parked in the garage, is equipped to jumpstart hearts. Crews press weights and file reports between the action. They proved to be good neighbors, even to skeptics.
“I think it’s an interesting approach,” said neighbor Valerie Gindlesberger. “It doesn’t have an invasive presence. It’s just another house.”
Alex Sweat, an EMS lieutenant and paramedic with the Overland Park Fire Department, is one of six first responders who rotates through 10418 Reeds Drive in the Nall Hills subdivision of Overland Park. The department took occupancy in December and held an open house in January to answer questions and give tours. Sweat says their mission is to respond to all medical incidences and to be good neighbors.
“We’re here to help, not be a nuisance to the neighborhood,” Sweat said.
Squad 47 is the department’s latest acquisition. The satellite squad station concept is something other cities have done to keep big fire trucks from rolling, said Fire Chief Bryan Dehner. It is economical and efficient, he said. The new squad shaved a minute off response time, according to the department.
“They are crushing the mission we are expecting them to do,” Dehner said. “They are hitting the number. They are reducing the response time.”
The fire department had been looking for a way to respond more efficiently to medical emergencies in Overland Park’s high volume call area from approximately Metcalf Avenue to Mission Road and 95th Street to College Boulevard. They found a perfect match on Reeds Drive, Dehner said. Dehner expected the new squad to answer 100 calls per month, but responded to 200 in their first month.
“They are the first arriving unit before the ambulance — initial care,” Dehner said. “What we are trying to do is place advanced life support in an area that didn’t have it before.”
The new squad is staffed with one EMS lieutenant (paramedic) and one firefighter EMT for each 24-hour shift. Crews answer six to seven calls per day with an average response time of 4.30 or 4.40 minutes, said Brad Cusick, EMS chief. Four minutes is the unattainable gold standard, he said. Fire trucks, formerly dispatched from Station 2 at 119th and Hardy and Station 4 at 95th Street and Antioch Road, can focus on their vicinities, Cusick said.
“They are right on top of all these calls,” Cusick said. “It adds value to the patient. It can mean everything.”
The new satellite squad has received no complaints from neighbors, according to squad members. The unit’s Chevy Tahoe, an alternative response vehicle, remains out of site in the garage between calls. Crews obey posted speed limits in the neighborhood, sounding the siren and blinking their lights once they reach Nall Avenue, Lamar Avenue or 103rd Street. They have already responded to dozens of calls in the Nall Hills subdivision. Crews answer anything from falls to trauma and cardiac events. An ambulance is also dispatched to provide transportation to a hospital.
“We’re all a team together to do what is best for the patient,” Sweat said.
Charlie Gilbert lives a few doors down from Squad 47. He has yet to hear sirens from the unit’s Tahoe. Gilbert likes the squad’s proximity. He considers himself a “frequent flier.” He has received medical services from the Overland Park Fire department three times in the past 18 months.
“There are a lot of older people in this neighborhood, plus the nursing home,” Gilbert said. “If they need help it will be a lot closer and faster.”
Pat Banz has lived in Nall Hills for 19 years. Banz says having nearby paramedics gives her a sense of comfort. It makes economic sense and lets children in the neighborhood know there are people in the community who care, she said.
“I have had a heart attack myself,” Banz said. “With these people living so close, it’s more of a community feeling and safety and being a part of us.”
Fifty percent of the residents in the subdivision are older than 50 years old, according to Erica Kurta, recording secretary of Nall Hills Homes Association. The new emergency services has benefited the neighborhood, she said. Kurta has received no complaints on the Nall Hills Homes Association phone line, which rings in her house.
“We felt it was a good idea as a board, probably because we are a neighborhood of mostly older people,” Kurta said.
This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Tucked into an Overland Park subdivision, Squad 47 is hidden in plain sight."