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Comprehensive Assessment of Emergency Medical Services 72 <br />and 911 /Communications Center Operations Study <br />Ultimately then, someone with at least basic life- saving skills (BLS) needs to be on the scene of the <br />emergency within 4 minutes; and, someone with advanced life- saving skills (ALS); i.e. Orange County <br />EMS; within 8 minutes. And, according to NFPA, those response times are to be achieved in at least 90% <br />of all calls dispatched. <br />The concern in this regard is that the years of data gathered and analyzed for this report showed that <br />the total average response time intervals, both turn -out time and travel time, for Orange County EMS <br />exceeded the time standards recommended; consistently. <br />Figure 22 <br />EMS System Annual Average Response Times <br />As illustrated, the 5 -year average turn -out <br />time of 1 minute -30 seconds exceeds the <br />recommended standard of "no more than <br />one (1) minute ,8; as well, the 5 -year average <br />Total Response Time, of 10 minutes -30 sec- <br />onds exceeds the recommended standard by <br />almost 2 % minutes. <br />Year <br />Total Units <br />Dispatched <br />Turn -Out <br />Time <br />Travel <br />Time <br />Total <br />Resp. Time <br />2007 <br />9,269 <br />1:41 <br />7:41 <br />9:26 <br />2008 <br />9,833 <br />1:38 <br />8:15 <br />9:56 <br />2009 <br />10,614 <br />1:29 <br />9:15 <br />10:49 <br />2010 <br />11,893 <br />1:27 <br />9:47 <br />11:14 <br />2011 <br />13,079 <br />1:16 <br />9:30 <br />10:47 <br />SYearAverage: <br />0:01:30 <br />0:08:53 <br />0:10:26 <br />Turn -out time is an issue that must be <br />studied internally and specifically, often times <br />by studying the patterns of individual crews. <br />The focus of the discussion that follows focuses on First Responder and EMS Total <br />Response Time. <br />As stated, standards also suggest that basic life support (BLS) capabilities; i.e. "first responders "; arrive <br />on scene in no less than four (4) minutes. As previously addressed, the Orange County EMS System Plan <br />filed with the State identifies 12 Fire Departments within the County that support EMS as Medical First <br />Responders. In 2011 the medical calls recorded to which these Fire departments responded were as <br />follows: <br />2500 <br />2000 <br />1500 <br />1000 <br />500 <br />0 <br />Figure 23 <br />Fire Department Medical Call Responses -2011 <br />' \Z %, � �cb So �� e e/ <br />8 NFPA 450 Guide for Emergency Medical Services and Systems; Subsection 5.6.8 Turnout (Activation) Interval <br />Solutions for Local Government, Inc. 28 <br />