Agenda - 08-30-2012 - 2 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Comprehensive Assessment of Emergency Medical Services 12 DRAFT REPORT and 911/Communications Center Operations Study In the case of EMS calls, once the Dispatcher (Telecommunicator) receiving the 911 call is able to verify the location of the incident being reported, he/she will notify (dispatch) the EMS team/station that is responsible for responding to that call's location. "Emergency Medical Dispatch" (EMD) is a level of certification that enables Telecommunicators that answer 911 medical emergency calls to, while simultaneously dispatching an ambulance, offer the caller instructions in first aid; e.g. CPR, compression/abatement of serious bleeding, making the victim comfortable, etc; while also obtaining information from the caller as to circumstances and medical indications that then can be communicated to the EMS responders on their way. These procedures require the activation of medical protocols that must be approved by the County's Medical Director and must be reviewed per State requirements for quality assurance on a regular basis. In a County the size of Orange with EMS response times as they are, these capabilities can and often do prove valuable at the very least in initiating patient care. The Communications Center also maintains call log reports, on every call received and dispatched which include the type of incident being reported, the agency(s) dispatched, location of the incident, and dispatch and response activity interval times. First Response In general terms EMS Division employees are considered "first responders" to any emergency to which they are dispatched; as are fire, specialized rescue, and law enforcement personnel. Realistically, however, an EMS ambulance may in fact not be the first unit or service on the scene of a medical emergency. In Orange County's case, a "first responder" in medical emergencies could best be described as; The first EMS, Rescue, Fire service person to arrive at the scene, with or without an ambulance, and initiate medical assistance in an effort to stabilize the patient until advanced life support capabilities arrive to administer additional aid and/or transport. Of course under the County's EMS System Plan and State regulations the individual responding in these instances and the agency the individual represents must be certified as Medical Responders by the State. In Orange County, the identified first responders to medical emergencies include the ten (10) volunteer or combination paid/volunteer fire departments within the County, the two career/municipal fire departments and South Orange Rescue Squad. • Caldwell Fire Department • Hillsborough/Orange Rural Fire Department • City of Carrboro Fire Department • Mebane Fire Department • Cedar Grove Fire Department • New Hope Fire Department • City of Chapel Hill Fire Department • North Chatham Fire Department • Efland Fire Department • Orange Grove Fire Department • Eno Fire Department • White Cross Fire Department Currently Carrboro Fire Department is certified at the EMT level while the remaining departments are certified at the Medical Responder(MR) level. Solutions for Local Government,Inc. 10