TOWN OF WAYNE — South Wayne has a population of 465 people. Amongst the farmers and mechanics lived two licensed Medical First Responders who held all of the other 463 lives in their hands. This is no longer the case. As of July 31, the licenses of Eric Berget and Donna Flannery have been suspended and the South Wayne EMS unit license revoked — leaving the village and the Town of Wayne left to wonder who will answer the call.
For three years, Berget and Flannery have been on call for the Village of South Wayne and the Town of Wayne, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. According to Flannery, the unit’s Service Director, three people are to be on call at all times. One person is the writer and documents all information including vitals and such in “run reports”, while the other two are actively performing medical procedures. Berget and Flannery have been operating without a third member for three years after others left the unit.
“We’ve been trying for so long to get someone in there and get relief,” Flannery said.
Serving South Wayne, Berget has been an EMR for 25 years. In order to become an EMR, a person needs 120 hours in EMR related classes followed by a written test and practical skills exam. Then they need to pass the national registry exam before receiving a license. Afterward, continuing education is required to maintain licensing.
A service director such as Flannery requires even more training. Flannery has been an EMS personnel for 20 years. As Service Director, Flannery has had to receive more training and keep up-to-date on new medical practices. Flannery is also in charge of training procedures for the unit. Service Directors have the most responsibility and liability if things go wrong on a call. They are the ones who go to court if someone sues the unit.
As the only two responders on call, Berget and Flannery have struggled with stress and maintaining healthy lifestyles. The two are not only partners in the unit but also in life. With no one else available, it is nearly impossible to get any vacation, let alone one together.
“We’ve missed out on so much of life,” Berget said. “Holidays, birthday parties. It’s tough being on the clock all the time.”
Even if Berget does take a night away, there is a constant thought of worry in his mind.
“You never want anything to ever happen,” Berget said. “There is such a guilt for even just small amounts of time away. So many people are depending on you all the time. It wears you down.”
“Just pray that nothing happens,” Flannery said. “One person is not enough to handle a call.”
While running the unit, each owns and operates a small business with South Wayne. Flannery manages Donna’s Cleaning and Berget has Accurate Auto Repair. The pair are constantly on guard and prepared for anything at any moment.
“It is difficult doing it all,” Flannery said. “At any point you could have to drop everything you are doing and run to call.”
The constant stress from being on call is only part of the mental toll that has been taken on the EMRs.
“It’s always people you know,” Berget said. “This is a very small town. The things you see as a first responder stick with you.”
Through his career, Berget has seen self-inflicted gunshots, burn victims, people cut in half and decapitated. Both Berget and Flannery recalled a recent tragedy involving a 2-year-old girl who was bitten in the neck by a dog and was bleeding uncontrollably. Even two weeks later, she stays in UW-Madison Hospital on life support.
When it comes to mental health services, the responders are on their own as none are currently provided.
“I speak with the South Wayne pastor and Dan Nufer in Green County,” Flannery said. “They help, but it’s hard to open up for different people.”
Looking for a reprieve, Berget and Flannery had announced their impending retirement for this coming December during the May board meeting. In June, the responders learned of the unit revocation and subsequently changed their plans to retire when it is disassembled at the end of July.
Covering the village of South Wayne and Town of Wayne, local Gratiot Fire District and the Village of Browntown/Town of Cadiz/Town of Jordan Fire District will provide temporary services in place of the EMR unit. Gratiot will take calls on the west side and the others will field the east side. While this short-term fix is a comforting thought, the distance could mean the difference.
“Time is everything,” Berget said. “Every second counts.”
“Like us, the volunteers could live five minutes away or they could live 15 minutes away,” Flannery said. “I am fearful for South Wayne as it has many older residents.”
The average age for a person living in South Wayne is 47.1 years old.
“If it were a cardiac patient…” Flannery said, “there is going to be a longer wait time and people will definitely feel it. As always, an ambulance will be on the way, but no one will be there immediately to do anything.”
Flannery believes at least five to six are required in order to hold the unit license and at least one must be a trained Service Director. Flannery does not think the program will be reinstituted for approximately one to two years, creating a strain for the temporary units who have volunteered to assist during this time.
“They are just like us,” Berget said, “running low on volunteers in small towns. They might have businesses and lives they need to take care of and step away from being an EMS. Poor treatment also doesn’t help.”
“At times it feels like people don’t appreciate us until they need us,” Flannery said. “It can feel like we have no community support. There are those who do care, but right now we need more support.”
Village of South Wayne Board President, Dale Carolan wishes to reboot the EMR program. Carolan has caught up on paperwork for the unit and is working closely with instructors at Blackhawk Tech, who will be giving new classes for EMR training in mid-August. In order to have a class within the South Wayne district, 10-12 individuals need to participate. Carolan is hoping many will volunteer but knows there have been struggles in the past.
“You can only ask and beg,” Carolan said.
The board hopes to get one licensed first responder for South Wayne taking the course in August. The fate of the program will remain unsettled for now.
