Agenda - 10-03-2013 - 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Comprehensive Assessment of Emergency Medical Services and 911 /Communications Center Operations Study STUDY SCOPE During November 2011, Orange County representatives met with and subsequently requested a proposal from Solutions for Local Government, Inc. to study and produce, as a single report: • A Comprehensive Assessment of Emergency Medical Services; and • A 911 Communications Center Operations Study The proposal was presented to the Board of County Commissioners in late December 2011 and forwarded to the "Emergency Services Work Group" (an advisory committee) for review and further study. It was forwarded to the Board and approved March 22, 2012; wherein the first project related meeting took place the next day. With regards to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) portion of the study, the County requested that it address at least the following topics: • Call volume(s) • Call distribution & demographics • Unit response times & workload • Base locations & conditions • Level of service being provided • Rural vs. urban characteristics impacting service delivery • First response capabilities • Staffing • Performance criteria • Annual operating costs • Annual billings & revenue • Fleet & equipment condition In turn, the study of the County's 911 /Communications Center was to focus on the following topics: • Center staffing 0 Dispatch costs • Performance & workload 0 Existing CAD capabilities and /or • Data availability shortcomings THE PROCESS The County's Emergency Services Department was of course central to the study. EMS and Communications Division chiefs as well as numerous staff and administrative personnel provided volumes in terms of information and reports and many hours of their time attending meetings regarding the many topics that were ultimately addressed. Significant also were the meetings held with and /or presentations provided to various stakeholder groups wherein input and comments were solicited and discussed regarding the County's EMS and 911 /Communications Center operations. These groups included representatives from the Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough municipal Police Departments, The Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough /Orange Rural Fire Departments, The Orange County Fire Chiefs Association; which included the volunteer departments discussed in this report, and the general public. The Emergency Services Work Group and its appointed membership, together with various public visitors who attended the meetings, made significant contributions during six separate meetings in which the study, study progress, and draft report findings were discussed. These contributions, particularly during the June, July and August extended meetings involved some very substantive comments and suggestions regarding requests for additional information, formatting of presentation Solutions for Local Government, Inc. 3 47