I was surprised to read in last week's Star an Anchorage Fire Department spokesman expressing concern about oversight in terms of the quality of emergency medical care provided by the Chugiak Volunteer Fire Department.

The Anchorage Fire Department's EMS has the same oversight as Chugiak Volunteer Fire Department's EMS. Both services are supervised by the Medical Advisory Board, a mayor-appointed board to advise the mayor on EMS concerns and provide oversight to EMS functioning in the Municipality of Anchorage. Both services are directed by Board Certified Emergency Physicians, who are also members of the MAB. Both services have the exact same medical control - the ability to contact an emergency physician 24 hours a day, for any specific concerns. They both follow patient care protocols approved by the MAB. Therefore, I am perplexed as to Mr. Kempton's statement that there is an "issue about EMS is what oversight there is in terms of quality of care." Does this mean that Mr. Kempton feels that there is an issue concerning the oversight of AFD as well, since they share the same type of oversight?

In particular, the CVFD EMS has an EMS coordinator, Kathy Griffin, who is a paramedic and the Regional EMS Training Coordinator for Southern Region Emergency Medical Services Inc. In her role with Southern Region, she oversees EMS training and quality control across a huge area of south-central Alaska, from the Alaska Peninsula to the Wrangell Mountains. Due to her vast experience and knowledge, the CVFD EMS is consistently meeting State and Municipal Requirements.

The Chugiak Volunteer Fire Department is a state-certified Advanced Life Support ambulance service and operates three ambulances (Eagle River has one). As such, Chugiak also meets all of the state regulations regarding EMS care. In addition, under my guidance and supervision, Chugiak medics are allowed an expanded scope of practice well beyond the basics in the applicable state regulations.

Currently, the CVFD has six paramedics (with two more finishing up their internships at fire departments in the Lower 48), 11 EMT IIIs, 16 EMT IIs, 30 EMT Is and 7 ETTs. Last year, these medics voluntarily attended more than 300 hours of training provided by the department. Chugiak has among the greatest percentage of advanced life support medics of any ambulance service in the state.

I have previously been the assistant medical director for Albuquerque Fire Department EMS (a municipality larger than Anchorage), am a current member of Anchorage's MAB, and a receiving emergency physician at Providence Hospital (receiving patients from both EMS services). I have found that the CVFD EMS provides excellent quality of care - in fact, the best care provided by a volunteer service. The only difference, as far as I can tell, is that patients of AFD EMS are provided a bill for hundreds of dollars, while CVFD EMS, as a volunteer service, provides their care for free.

Dr. Richard C. Navitsky is on the Anchorage Medical Advisory Board.