Odessa, Tex., is a place where the sand flies, the wind blows, and everything is flat. Look across the flatlands, and you'll see West Texas' bread and butter: the oil fields. The area has relied on petroleum for more than a century as its chief industry.

     As certain as the oil fields are to West Texas, even more certain are the efforts of Odessa Fire/EMS (OFD). Using advanced technologies in the hands of aggressive, highly trained firefighters and paramedics, the department saves lives and property every day, even against such harsh and challenging backdrops.

Onboard Sonography
     For several years, Odessa Fire/EMS has had sonographic diagnostic capabilities in each of its paramedic ambulances. This occurred largely through the efforts of Dave Spear, MD, medical director for the department, Odessa's Medical Center Hospital and the entire Big Bend region of Texas. Spear is an aggressive emergency physician, and deploying sonograms on board working ambulances was his brainchild. As the specialized mobile sonography equipment became available, OFD's ambulances were outfitted with it, and paramedics were trained in its use.

     Fielding such diagnostic capabilities on the ambulance has been so effective that Spear and four Odessa paramedics were invited to an international sonogram symposium in France. As well, Spear is preparing a paper on the project. Since the group's return, a number of other departments across the country have expressed interest in onboard sonographic diagnostics. It was recently announced that the Fire Department of New York and Minneapolis Fire Department would be working closely with Spear and OFD on programs of their own.

Specialty Care
     OFD's innovations didn't stop with the sonography. The department has also implemented adult intraosseous drug administration and added a new computerized tablet reporting system.

     With the extraction of oil comes many hazards to oil field workers, and so another specialty of the department, according to Battalion Chief Kavin Tinney, is in fighting oil field and tank battery fires and responding to other oil field incidents. OFD personnel receive special training for this. Because most oil field incidents are in remote areas, the department relies heavily on the services of Medical Center Hospital's CareStar EMS helicopter.