Lewis County Fire District 5, of Napavine, has temporarily suspended its advanced life support (ALS) medical delivery as the Napavine Police Department leads an investigation into possible misuse of the fire department’s medication.
ALS delivery is provided when a patient is in critical condition and a paramedic is required to assist in the treatment of the patient before or during transport to an emergency facility.
“We temporarily suspended ALS delivery due to questions on what’s going on with some of our medication,” Interim District 5 Chief Gregg Peterson told a Chronicle reporter on Thursday, Aug. 17.
The fire district, which is based out of Napavine, suspended its ALS service and notified local law enforcement, the Washington state Department of Health (DOH) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the issue earlier this week, according to Peterson.
“They are content that we’re handling this in the correct way,” Peterson said of the DOH and DEA.
The investigation was still active as of Thursday morning, according to the Napavine Police Department.
While the investigation is ongoing, District 5 will continue responding to fire and medical calls, but will count on nearby agencies to provide ALS transport as needed.
District 5 is still providing Basic Life Support (BLS) delivery, or emergency transport provided by certified emergency medical technicians, according to Peterson.
