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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: March 17, 2009 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 7-b <br />SUBJECT: Emergency Services — A Performance Report and Recommendations for <br />Improvement <br />DEPARTMENT: Emergency Services PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1. Performance Charts and <br />Recommendations Presentation <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />F. Rojas Montes de Oca, Jr. <br />Emergency Services, 245 -6100 <br />PURPOSE: <br />To inform the BOCC of changes made within the Emergency Services Department to improve <br />performance and enhance safety throughout Orange County along with projected costs to <br />support and sustain continuous improvement. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />Emergency Services has an outstanding history in the protection of Orange County and the <br />communities within. During the 1960's through the mid- 1990's the Department focused <br />primarily on civil defense preparation, emergency communications, fire prevention and <br />coordinated the efforts of area volunteer emergency service organizations. The structure was <br />typical of most county emergency management organizations within North Carolina. <br />During the mid - 1990's the Department began to evolve as a result of the changing <br />demographics and increased urbanization within Orange County. The calls for emergency <br />medical treatment and transport continued to increase making apparent changes were needed <br />to continue providing reliable, consistent emergency medical services. Two significant changes <br />occurred: 1) An Initial Response Vehicle or IRV service was implemented in 1995 to rapidly <br />deploy paramedics with their advanced training and skills to patients; and 2) The volunteer <br />medical transportation service merged with the County- operated treatment (paramedic) services <br />in 2003 to create the current Orange County Emergency Medical Services system. At the time <br />both initiatives were necessary and served a community well with limited resources. <br />Improvements Made <br />Emergency Services is changing the way it conducts business. More structure has been added <br />to the daily management of operations; personnel have taken on a renewed enthusiasm for <br />