Rockville Centre residents will continue receiving top care despite the state downgrading the fire department’s emergency medical services’ advanced life support, or ALS, certification to basic life support, BLS, earlier this month.
The change came as the result of a new regulation that mandates narcotics to be on hand in all ALS ambulances, which requires special equipment and licensing. The rule — enacted in 2016 with a grace period to allow departments to comply — resulted in a total of 19 EMS agencies in Nassau County, others including the Bellmore, Seaford and Island Park fire departments, being downgraded to BLS.
There are a handful of procedures that require an ALS certification, including intubation — inserting a tube down a patient’s windpipe to open a clogged airway — and administering medications via injection, emergency medical professionals told the Herald.