A southern Colorado fire department faces criticism over medical response

A southern Colorado fire department is facing criticism over its medical response after a woman said she could’ve had a heart attack because she wasn’t able to get help.

Megan Cline said she was having heart palpitations and was told by her doctor to go to the fire department for an EKG.

She went to the Ellicott Fire Department for help, but was told there was no one there that was trained to treat her.

“They said they couldn’t reach the people who were able to give me the heart test and they sent me to the Falcon Fire Department instead,” Cline said.

Her daughter drove her 18 miles to the Falcon department to get the test.

“I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I was dizzy and nauseous,” she said. “When I got there, they said they were shocked I didn’t go into cardiac arrest because my numbers were so crazy.”

But the Ellicott Fire Department is a volunteer business and the Advanced Life Support EMTs that are trained to administer EKGs are volunteers who were not available.

“It wasn’t that she was turned away from medical care, it was that the people on staff at the time were not trained on what she needed,” Assistant Chief Christy Malone explained.

Since Cline wasn’t having a heart attack, it wasn’t considered an emergency which is why the staff suggested she try the next closest place.

But Cline is worried they will not prepared if she needs help again.

“It’s really scary to think that we don’t have the right people or equipment while we’re so much further out and they’ll send you somewhere else and hope you make it there,” she said.

Cline is bringing her concerns to Wednesday’s board meeting.