Jeff Trosper This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. HollandSentinel.com -Emergency director helps animals survive tragedy 12/14/03

   www.thehollandsentinel.net/sto - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/14/2003   Last Visited: 12/14/2003

   Jeff Trosper may not be a veterinarian, but he played a key role in saving a dog's life after it escaped a house fire earlier this week.
   
   Trosper, the emergency medical services director at North Ottawa Community Hospital, used the tubing from an oxygen mask to pump oxygen into the respiratory system of Sheba -- a medium-sized dog that Crockery Township firefighters carried out of a burning house Tuesday morning.
   
   > > "The firefighters crawled into the house and came across Sheba on the floor," Trosper said. "When they brought the dog out, her breathing rate was at about six times per minute -- which is inadequate to live."
   
   He said a dog's respiratory rate is typically around 30 to 40 breaths per minute.
   
   "So I put the tube in the dog's airway and stimulated her with petting and talking and it picked up her respiratory breathing and within 20 minutes she was moving her eyes and looking around."
   
   Trosper and Sheba's owner, Mary VanderLaan, stayed by the dog's side while firefighters worked for two hours to extinguish the 8:11 a.m. blaze at VanderLaan's home, 14143 State Road.
   ...
   Trosper, who has been at North Ottawa Community Hospital for three years, used to respond with the SWAT team in Grand Rapids and is trained to help resuscitate animals that have suffered from horrific incidents, including fires and car accidents. As manager of the hospital's ambulance service, he oversees 26 paramedics and four emergency medical dispatchers.
   
   "Typically we're called out to a scene when someone is ill or injured," Trosper said.
   ...
   If paramedics see that a dog has a sign of life, such as some breathing, then they will do what they can to save its life, Trosper said.
   
   "A dog's anatomy is similar to that of a human," Trosper said. "But they have a bigger mouth, so you can open it wider and move the tongue out of the way and slide the tube down its throat. Because they're similar to humans, it's not a hard thing for (paramedics) to go from a human to an animal."
   
   Trosper, who is also a volunteer firefighter at Allendale Fire Department, has saved nearly 10 animals -- mostly cats and dogs -- from fires and accidents.

2. 2. Always On Call - A Special Publication of The Grand Haven Tribune

   www.grandhaventribune.com/prog - [Cached]

   Last Visited: 6/9/2002

   About a year ago, Jeff Trosper flipped jobs. Trosper had been operations supervisor for AMR Ambulance in Grand Rapids for seven years when he picked up part-time work as a paramedic for North Ottawa Community Hospital in Grand Haven. A few months later, Sharon Karem stepped down as the emergency medical services manager at NOCH and Trosper took over.
   ...
   Born in Eaton Rapids, Trosper began emergency work 18 years ago after a three-year stint in the U.S. Army. While an ambulance driver and rescue worker in Colorado for 11 years, he put together a photo album of sometimes gruesome scenes he came across on calls. One set of photos is of a plane crash that showed little more than burnt ground and scattered debris. Trosper said the ambulances didn't stick around long because there were no survivors and very little trace that 25 people had been aboard what had been a plane. Trosper explained that emergency rescue work "gets in your blood," such as it did for a former colleague of his who had decided to do EMS work despite holding a doctorate degree in microbiology.
   ...
   "I guess it's just a love for the business of helping people," Trosper said. Of all the countless crashes and tragedies he's seen over the years, Trosper said those that involve children are the ones that tug at his heart the most. But the greatest delight in his work also involves children. "It's always a joy to deliver babies," he said. "I've delivered numerous babies and it's always a joy when it turns out well." Trosper must love children because he and his wife, Linda, have five between them, ages 12-20. The Trospers live in Allendale.
   ...
   Jeff Trosper said the NOCH ambulance work load has grown over the years - from 3,233 calls in 1997 to about 4,300 last year. He estimates this year will total around 4,500 calls. The growth, he said, is the result of the area's increasing population, especially among older age groups who tend to require more medical attention. To keep up, the hospital computerized its ambulance dispatch and switchboard center a few months ago, and added 14 new staff members to the emergency department. Trosper now manages 19 full-time and 15 part-time paramedics and four dispatchers with four ambulances to cover northwest Ottawa County. Half of the NOCH staff of paramedics, who must spend 45 hours of continuing education every three years and keep certifications up to date to maintain their licenses, also work for volunteer fire departments in the area. "I would never hesitate to have any one of them take care of my family," Trosper said of his staff. Trosper has the same confidence in the Grand Haven hospital's nurses, doctors and other staff members. "I never worked at a better institution than North Ottawa," he said. "Everyone is kind and caring. They never hurry - they want to do things the right way. If my kids were ever sick, or I was ever sick, I would come here."

3. 3. Always On Call - A Special Publication of The Grand Haven Tribune

   www.grandhaventribune.com/prog - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/10/2002   Last Visited: 4/10/2002

   About a year ago, Jeff Trosper flipped jobs. Trosper had been operations supervisor for AMR Ambulance in Grand Rapids for seven years when he picked up part-time work as a paramedic for North Ottawa Community Hospital in Grand Haven. A few months later, Sharon Karem stepped down as the emergency medical services manager at NOCH and Trosper took over.
   ...
   Born in Eaton Rapids, Trosper began emergency work 18 years ago after a three-year stint in the U.S. Army. While an ambulance driver and rescue worker in Colorado for 11 years, he put together a photo album of sometimes gruesome scenes he came across on calls. One set of photos is of a plane crash that showed little more than burnt ground and scattered debris. Trosper said the ambulances didn't stick around long because there were no survivors and very little trace that 25 people had been aboard what had been a plane. Trosper explained that emergency rescue work "gets in your blood," such as it did for a former colleague of his who had decided to do EMS work despite holding a doctorate degree in microbiology.
   ...
   "I guess it's just a love for the business of helping people," Trosper said. Of all the countless crashes and tragedies he's seen over the years, Trosper said those that involve children are the ones that tug at his heart the most. But the greatest delight in his work also involves children. "It's always a joy to deliver babies," he said. "I've delivered numerous babies and it's always a joy when it turns out well." Trosper must love children because he and his wife, Linda, have five between them, ages 12-20. The Trospers live in Allendale.
   ...
   Jeff Trosper said the NOCH ambulance work load has grown over the years - from 3,233 calls in 1997 to about 4,300 last year. He estimates this year will total around 4,500 calls. The growth, he said, is the result of the area's increasing population, especially among older age groups who tend to require more medical attention. To keep up, the hospital computerized its ambulance dispatch and switchboard center a few months ago, and added 14 new staff members to the emergency department. Trosper now manages 19 full-time and 15 part-time paramedics and four dispatchers with four ambulances to cover northwest Ottawa County. Half of the NOCH staff of paramedics, who must spend 45 hours of continuing education every three years and keep certifications up to date to maintain their licenses, also work for volunteer fire departments in the area. "I would never hesitate to have any one of them take care of my family," Trosper said of his staff. Trosper has the same confidence in the Grand Haven hospital's nurses, doctors and other staff members. "I never worked at a better institution than North Ottawa," he said. "Everyone is kind and caring. They never hurry - they want to do things the right way. If my kids were ever sick, or I was ever sick, I would come here."