No one ever wants to have a medical crisis, but it can’t always be avoided. And if the time ever comes when you need to call 9-1-1, you want to have the confidence that Emergency Medical Services are ready and available to provide the care you need… when you need it. However, during a time of crisis, there are several factors that can affect the availability of EMS teams: increased volume of 9-1-1 calls, availability of ambulances, patient offload times at hospitals, and hospital staffing shortages. And because of an additional increase in COVID-19 cases, Kern County once again finds itself in the midst of a surge capacity for medical care.

When this surge capacity was first reached at the end of 2020, Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. was able to step in as an additional emergency response agency for lower acuity calls when ambulances were not available. However, as a provider of Basic Life Support services, Pro Safety & Rescue was limited in the scope of medical services that it could deliver to a patient. This is why Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. has been working with Kern County EMS over the past several months, and has invested in the training and equipment necessary to become an approved provider of Advanced Life Support services.

Greater Capacity, Greater Service

By increasing our EMS status from BLS to ALS, Pro Safety & Rescue has made itself available to provide professional medical care to a greater number of people in our community. And being able to provide this higher level of care allows us to partner with other EMS agencies to keep more ambulances on the streets. Plus, this greater capacity allows our teams at Pro Safety to positively impact more people in our community.

“The pandemic has changed health care all around the world.” Says Arnold Thomas, EMS Program Director at Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc, “As a BLS agency, we were helping our community the best we could. But we wanted to do more. So we sat down and said, ‘how can Pro Safety help?”

In asking this question, the team at Pro Safety & Rescue discovered that by increasing our capacity of care, we could provide the assistance and relief that our partner agencies needed by being available to take on a greater load of emergency calls. “Now that we are ALS,” Thomas explains, “we can respond to more calls, more critical calls, instead of just BLS calls. We can respond to everything, from a heart attack, to a stroke, to a shooting, to even someone giving birth.”

Impacting our community

It’s important to us at Pro Safety & Rescue that you feel confident in your Emergency Response Services when you need them. And the EMS teams here in Kern County have done an excellent job at earning your confidence over the years.That’s why, when the pandemic came in and put pressure on these teams, we felt that one of the ways that we could serve the community was by supporting these EMS teams, and keeping your confidence levels high. As Arnold Thomas puts it, “We went through the process of becoming an ALS agency so that we can go out there and do more than just respond to BLS calls. We can do more to help our community. We can do more to help our EMS partners. We can do more to help everyone.”

We at Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. are honored and humbled to be approved as the very first private, non-transport ALS agency in Kern County. And we promise to work hard to help bring professional Advanced Life Support services to our community, and to assist our fellow EMS partners during this time of crisis, and beyond.

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We are pleased to introduce a new option for COVID-19 testing. Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. has been providing COVID services to private companies since the beginning of the pandemic, and has just expanded its services by offering COVID-19 testing to the public. Our designated website for public COVID testing, procovidtesting.com offers a hassle-free way to schedule your appointment.

Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. is a CLIA Approved Laboratory that has the facilities and technology to administer and process results for both Antigen and RT-PCR molecular tests.

You read that correctly, Pro Safety & Rescue can process in-house RT-PCR molecular tests and provide results the same day. And with our easy drive-up testing, you can get tested without even leaving the comfort of your vehicle.

RT-PCR molecular testing is the gold standard of COVID-19 testing and is capable of providing the most accurate results by identifying the COVID-19 RNA present in the host at a much earlier stage of the viral infection. Molecular tests are highly recommended by the FDA and are often required in order to comply with travel restrictions. Nearly all RT-PCR tests are sent away to a third party lab in order for the results to be processed, and it can take days to get results back. Pro Safety & Rescue can offer same-day results for the most accurate test available with our in-house RT-PCR testing machine. You will need to call for an appointment as well as for pricing, as these rapid RT-PCR tests are in limited supply.

We also offer other forms of COVID-19 testing including standard RT-PCR molecular tests and rapid antigen tests. With several antigen testing machines in-house, our technicians can administer multiple antigen tests at a time, providing quick results for several patients at a time.

Antigen tests, though not as accurate as molecular tests, can provide a fast and less-expensive way to test large numbers of people, especially on a regular basis. The FDA has determined that repeated antigen testing is a suitable strategy for maintaining a healthy worksite. And Pro Safety & Rescue can provide on-site antigen testing to your worksite or business as part of our Concierge COVID Services.

Our Concierge COVID Services are available across California, and we can provide COVID-19 testing and pre-entry screening to your worksite, office, movie set, or event with professional technicians and set medics. And you can count on the professionalism and discretion of our Concierge service technicians to bring reliable COVID-19 testing right to your home for your convenience.

Don’t be fooled by companies offering COVID-19 antibody testing.

These companies are offering finger-prick ANTIBODY tests and promoting them as COVID-19 tests. These antibody tests are only designed to find evidence of past exposure to the COVID-19 virus and are not reliable in determining if you are currently infected. According to a study by UK firm BMJ, one in five of these antibody tests produce inaccurate results for past infection. And an investigation by the National Covid Testing Scientific Advisory Panel found that when these tests are used to determine current COVID-19 infection, they can have an accuracy rate as low as 55%. People could be receiving negative results from these antibody tests and walking out with a false sense of security, thinking that they are not infected when they very well might be.

You want to be sure that you are receiving the best options available, and you can count on Pro Safety & Rescue to provide real COVID-19 solutions for you, your family, or your business. And we are uniquely qualified to offer you these options at your greatest convenience. We are your solution for fast, reliable, professional COVID-19 testing in California. And it is our goal and our passion to serve our customers and our community by providing professional safety and testing services you can count on. Visit our new website procovidtesting.com to schedule an appointment today. Or contact us to see how we can bring our professional Concierge COVID Services to you.

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2021 has arrived, and we are still in the middle of a medical crisis that is taking its toll on our tired and weary unsung heroes donned in gowns and masks, located in hospitals and clinics across the country. People are continuing to get sick and more and more are needing medical attention. And this is beginning to become an overwhelming need, requiring new systems and new procedures if we are going to be successful in keeping this dilemma abated.

Keeping this in mind, Kern Public Health has launched a new program that expands its ability to maintain proper emergency response for those in need of care. And Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. is honored to be a partner in this new paradigm of Emergency Medical Services in Kern County.

Facing the Critical Issue at hand

Because of an increase in COVID-19 cases, Kern County currently finds itself in the midst of a surge capacity for medical care. According to Kern Public Health, there are four factors in defining when a surge capacity is determined. These four factors are: volume of 9-1-1 calls, availability of ambulances, patient offload times at hospitals, and percentage of staff impacted by COVID-19. And kern Public Health has stated that the last factor, percentage of staff impacted by COVID-19, is the only factor to have yet been triggered. However, the increased volume of 9-1-1 calls, combined with the longer patient offload times at hospitals due to a reduction of available beds, has caused a shortage of ambulances that are able to respond to emergency medical requests.

Because of this shortage during a time of surge capacity, and without the assistance of any intervening agency, the Kern County Emergency Response System would not be able to respond to low acuity 9-1-1 calls when sufficient resources were not available. And if an ambulance could not be dispatched, the caller would be informed of the situation and provided other options for obtaining care. Because of this potential shortage of care, Kern County EMS determined that there was a need to integrate an additional emergency response agency into the system for lower acuity calls when ambulances are not available. And this is where Pro Safety & Rescue has the ability, and the honor, of stepping in to serve our community in a greater capacity.

EMTs from Pro Safety were already helping to relieve staffing pressures at local hospitals by supplementing additional shifts needed at those facilities. And according to Kern Public Heath Public Relations Officer Michelle Corson, when Kern County EMS decided to take this historical step in integrating an additional emergency response agency into their 9-1-1 system, Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. was their first call.

A New Paradigm in Emergency Medical Services

“We are excited that we’ve got the opportunity to partner with an agency like [Pro Safety] during these unprecedented times,” said Corson, “and we were just excited for the partnership and were hopeful that it really expands our system and allows us to do the work and to respond the way our community needs us to.”

As of December 31st, 2020, Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. has been activated as an additional emergency response agency into the Kern County 9-1-1 system for lower acuity calls when ambulances are not available. According to Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. EMS Program Director Arnold Thomas, the EMTs and EMS vehicles at Pro Safety were already contracted with Kern County EMS as non-transport BLS (Basic Life Support) and could immediately provide additional assistance to our county’s overwhelmed 9-1-1 system as first responders.

When a person calls 9-1-1 during this level of surge capacity, the emergency operator will check the current availability of ambulances. If there are less than two ambulances available in the system, and the patient is determined by the operator to be non-acute, then an EMT strike team from Pro Safety would be dispatched to the location to determine the best course of action for the patient.

“Upon arrival, we do a full assessment, and do whatever we can to help that person with what they need.” Said Arnold Thomas of Pro Safety, “And if we determine that this person is definitely having a critical emergency and they need to go to the hospital and need an ambulance, then we will call an ambulance out.”

Community First

So far, according to both Kern Public Health and Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc., most people receiving emergency assistance seem to understand and appreciate this new partnership, knowing that a certified professional medical worker is still available to attend to their emergency need. Without this new partnership, and during this level of surge capacity, the possibility existed that their situation may not merit the dispatch of a medical team. But for now those fears can be alleviated, and our community can rest assured that first responders are on the way.

“The goal here is to make sure that everyone who calls 9-1-1 that’s having a life-saving emergency gets the treatment that they need.” Concluded Thomas, “And for every call that we respond to and determine that there are options available for alternative care, that just keeps more ambulances on the street.”

It is our honor and our privilege at Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. to accept this historic new partnership with Kern Public Health and Kern County EMS, in keeping our community safe. No change of this kind has ever been made in the emergency response system in our county before. But it is during times of crisis like these, that we all rise up together as a community to meet these challenges head on. This new partnership is an example of how Pro Safety & Rescue, Inc. lives out our passion of serving our customers and our community by providing professional rescue and safety services. We are honored to be entrusted with your emergency medical needs and our first responders promise to provide the care and support you deserve.

Kern Public Health press release concerning new EMS surge plan
https://kernpublichealth.com/2019-novel-coronavirus-ems-system-surge-plan/

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And depending on your perspective, or geography, one of the joys of the Christmas season is the onset of winter and the nip in the air that it brings. The cold against our skin makes us want to snuggle with loved ones and drink a hot beverage in a tacky ceramic mug adorned with snowmen, while the oven warms the house and the smell of cookies flows into every room. However, that winter nip also brings with it a few added dangers that we need to be aware of so that we can keep enjoying the season while staying safe and healthy.

What to Look Out For

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the most common winter injury is falling. Depending on where you live, snow and ice create very slippery conditions which make it difficult for both walking and driving, and it is suggested that you wear proper shoes for the weather. Rubber soled shoes with lots of grip work best, especially if these shoes also provide adequate ankle support. Avoid wearing shoes with flat, hard surfaces which are prone to slippage, like heels or dress shoes. Keep a short stride, avoid taking long steps, and don’t be in a rush. Give yourself plenty of extra time to get where you need to go.

And even if you don’t live in an area that get’s much snow or ice, there are still some winter dangers to look out for. Exposure to cold weather brings along with it susceptibility to hypothermia and frostbite. Both of these cold-weather dangers can sneak up on you if you are not planning ahead for them.

The CDC says that Hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposures to very cold temperatures. And when exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it’s produced. Body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly. This makes hypothermia especially dangerous because a person may not know that it is happening and won’t be able to do anything about it. And while it is assumed hypothermia only happens in extreme cold conditions, it can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40 degrees) if a person becomes chilled from rain or sweat.

Frostbite is another cold-weather danger that can take you by surprise. While hypothermia is a condition involving your core temperature, frostbite involves the freezing of skin tissue due to lower circulation in your extremities like your fingers, toes, nose, and ears. As your body tries to conserve heat at its core, it pulls blood from your extremities, leaving them vulnerable to the freezing cold.

Both of these winter dangers can be mitigated by planning ahead. And whether you are taking your family for a play day outside, or your job requires you to spend long times exposed to cold temperatures, here are a few steps to keep warm and safe in cold weather.

How to Protect Yourself From Cold Weather

Wear several layers of loose clothing for better insulation; take layers off if you begin to sweat and put them back on when you cool down. Inner layers should be wool to wick away moisture; synthetic fabrics can work for this purpose as well, but should be avoided in some work environments involving flammable materials, as synthetic fabrics are not fire resistant and will in fact cause serious burn injury by melting into the skin. Along with multiple inner layers, outer layers of clothing should be chosen that are wind and water-resistant to help keep out the elements.

Protect the ears, face, and hands by wearing hats, gloves, and face coverings. Be sure to wear appropriate versions of these accessories in accordance to your environment. Wearing gloves or hats that are too thin, or don’t cover all the areas of the hands or head, will do little good in colder conditions. And it can be overlooked that wearing articles of clothing, or accessories, that are too thick or too heavy, can cause you to sweat, or even make you want to remove those items, exposing you to the cold environment and thus making themselves ineffective.

And don’t forget that keeping your feet dry is one of the most important things you can do to not only stay comfortable in cold weather, but to also stay safe and healthy. Multiple layers of socks can help insulate your feet from the cold, but if they get wet they will only act to trap that moisture around your feet. Be sure to choose shoes or boots that are water-resistant, or even consider wrapping a layer of water resistant material around your socks, like a plastic bag, to add a barrier of protection from any wetness that may penetrate your footwear. Dry feet will keep you happy and healthy.

Enjoy the Season

Colder winter weather is part of what makes Christmas a wonderful and whimsical season to enjoy. Whether there are mounds of beautiful snow on your doorstep, or the glistening of cold morning dew on your palm trees, the Christmas chill can put a smile on your face and bring out the child inside. Just be sure that during your winter frolicking you are prepared for the potential dangers that it can also bring. We hope that these few, simple safety tips can help you, your family, and your worksite stay safe and healthy during the winter chill, and that you continue to find enjoyment in this time wherever you are, and whomever you are with.

Merry Christmas, from Pro Safety & Rescue.

Sources:

CDC Natural Disasters and Severe Weather

https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/index.html

CDC NIOSH PDF for Preventing Cold-related Illness, Injury, and Death among Workers

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2019-113/default.html

CDC PDF for Extreme Cold: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety

https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/pdf/extreme-cold-guide.pdf

Contact us to see how we can help keep you and your teams equipped for the cold weather.

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As you know, social distancing, wearing masks, handwashing, and self-quarantining are things we can do within our own abilities and resources, but getting accurately tested for COVID-19 remains just outside of the window of self-care. With so many places to go, and multiple types of tests available, how do we know which test is the right test, and when? The answer to these questions are directly related to your personal preference and priorities. These include how accurate you want the test to be, how quickly you want to receive the results, and what level of discomfort you are willing to endure in order for the test to be taken.

There are three types of tests available: molecular, antigen, and antibody. And there are three different ways to acquire a sample for testing: spitting into a collection device, a deep nasal swab, or extraction of blood intravenously. Each one of these tests have their advantages and disadvantages based on accuracy, price, and method of sampling. We will cover these differences below to help you make the best decision for you.

Am I Currently Infected?

If you are experiencing symptoms or have been around somebody who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, there are two types of diagnostic tests you can take: molecular tests, and antigen tests.

Molecular Tests (also called PCR tests, viral RNA tests, or nucleic acid tests)

These tests can be administered in multiple ways including nasal swabs, throat swabs, and tests of saliva or other bodily fluids.

This type of test can be performed at a hospital, clinic, or other medical type office either in the facility or while you wait in your car. You can even have qualified technicians test you at home or at your place of business.

Molecular tests look for specific genetic material (ribonucleic acid or RNA) that comes only from the virus.

Molecular testing is the most accurate diagnostic test delivering both a very low rate (as low as 2%) of false negatives – which is a test result that says you don’t have the virus when you actually do have it – and a near-zero rate of false positives – that is, a test that says you have the virus when you actually do not. Molecular tests are rated by the FDA at 99% accurate and many travel restrictions require a molecular test be conducted prior to arrival.

A molecular test, using a deep nasal swab, is usually the best option due to its accuracy rate however this can be fairly uncomfortable. Other diagnostic sampling methods like throat swabs or saliva are available but can produce less accurate results.

Depending on lab capacity, results from molecular testing may be available the same day. However, there are only a few labs that process molecular testing, so additional time to ship the sample to a certified lab as well as heavy testing times can extend the time it takes for you to get your results. The Molecular RT-PCR test is the gold standard of COVID-19 testing, and it is for that reason that Pro Safety & Rescue (a CLIA certified laboratory) has invested in providing you with the best testing in the shortest time possible.

Antigen Test (also called Rapid Test)

These tests are also done through nasal or throat swabs, however, require longer time inside the nasal cavity of the patient which can greatly increase discomfort.

Just like with molecular testing, antigen tests are performed at hospitals, clinics, inside your car, or even in your home or workplace through concierge medical services.

Antigen tests identify protein fragments (antigens) from the virus that trigger the body’s immune system.

The reported rate of false negatives is as high as 50%. This can be attributed to testing too early as there is not yet a detectable level of antigens present even though the virus itself is present. The graph below shows the time the virus has entered the patient to when the antigens are detectable. This can be as high as four to five days. Any test administered during this time would show as negative, even though the patient, in fact, is positively infected with the virus. A molecular test, however, can detect COVID-19 RNA even while the patient is asymptomatic.

For this reason, antigen tests are not favored by the FDA as a single test for active infection and they suggest an additional molecular test be taken when receiving a negative result from an antigen test*. However, since the antigen testing is quicker and requires less complex technology to perform than molecular testing, frequently repeated antigen testing is considered an acceptable strategy. And like molecular testing, the false positive rate of an antigen test is near zero, so positive results from an antigen test are much more reliable than a negative result.

The technology involved in antigen testing is similar to a pregnancy test or a rapid strep test, so results are usually available in less than 15 minutes. Rapid antigen testing is good way to quickly identify if someone has a positive infection so that quarantining and contact tracing can begin sooner.

How can we help?

Pro Safety & Rescue is here to assist you and your company in preventing a Coronavirus outbreak and can provide large-scale rapid antigen and RT-PCR testing at your location. Contact us to find out more.

Testing for Past Infection

Antibody tests (also called serologic testing)

Antibody tests require blood to be drawn from the patient by a certified phlebotomist and must be done at a doctor’s office, a testing lab, or hospital.

These blood tests identify antibodies that the host body’s immune system has produced in response to the infection. While a serologic test cannot tell you if you are currently infected with the virus, it can accurately identify a past infection.

Results of a Serologic test are usually available within a few days, however, having an antibody test done too early can also lead to a false negative result because it usually takes a week or two after an infection for the host body’s immune system to produce antibodies. And while a positive serologic test proves that the patient has been exposed to the virus, it’s not yet known whether such results indicate a lack of future contagiousness, or the existence of any long-lasting protective immunity.

The Verdict

Deciding which test is best for you can be confusing, because the options are rapidly changing. As previously mentioned, evidence shows the molecular RT-PCR test to be the gold standard accepted by the FDA and most entities seeking a confirmed negative result. However, a regular schedule of antigen testing can be an alternative strategy for your workplace. Our team is dedicated to staying on the forefront of COVID testing and are ready 24/7 to assist you and your company in being pro-active to maintain proper health and safety for you, your employees, and your clients. Contact us to schedule a consultation. 888.269.5095

Much of this content was sourced from Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing.https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/which-test-is-best-for-covid-19-2020081020734
For more information about coronavirus and COVID-19, see the Harvard Health Publishing Coronavirus Resource Center.

Graph adapted from data presented by SYNLAB
https://www.synlab.com/news-publications/sars-cov-2/antigen-tests-for-sars-cov-2-detection
and America’s ER
https://americaser.com/covid19/

*Coronavirus Disease 2019 Testing Basics pamphlet from the FDA https://www.fda.gov/media/140161/download

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