Emergency Medical

The Leawood Fire Department has been responding to emergency medical calls in the City of Leawood since the fire department was organized in 1949.  Fire Chief Brook Beatty had the vision and wisdom to know that it made the most practical sense for firefighters to be trained to handle medical emergencies, as well as respond to fires.  Today, like most of the fire service across the country, 60-70% of the incidents we respond to every year are emergency medical calls.  These calls can range from someone feeling ill or needing assistance after a fall, to a motor vehicle accident with multiple victims.

Over the years, many volunteer and paid firefighters in Leawood have been trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), capable of providing Basic Life Support (BLS).  When Johnson County Med-Act came into existence in the 1975, Med-Act began to respond along with the Fire Department to the more serious medical emergencies.  The paramedics from Med-Act were able to provide Advanced Life Support (ALS) and this tandem response system has been used in Leawood and throughout Johnson County ever since.  Today, every Leawood firefighter and officer is required to be certified by the State of Kansas as an Emergency Medical Technician. In addition, many Leawood firefighters and officers are certified as Paramedics allowing advanced life support treatment and response.

Anyone experiencing a medical emergency in Leawood can expect the finest pre-hospital care available anywhere in the country.  Using a tiered approach, a Leawood Police officer, trained in first aid and CPR will often arrive first, followed by a crew of trained Emergency Medical Technicians and/or Paramedics on a fire engine, which are followed by paramedics from Med-Act, who respond in a transporting ambulance.  All Fire and EMS agencies in Johnson County operate under same medical direction and protocols, ensuring that pre-hospital patient care will be seamless and efficient.