Orange County NC Website
Comprehensive Assessment of Emergency Medical Services 75 <br />and 911 /Communications Center Operations Study <br />Map #1 is that previously shown on page 8; it identifies the existing EMS district boundaries and <br />the staging locations of the current EMS Medic units. <br />Map #2 outlines in various colors the 4- mile /8- minute drive time road -based limits from each <br />Medic location. Note that the boundaries for Medic 1, Medic 4, and the temporary location of <br />Medic 5 overlap one another somewhat. Also, the south County locations identified for Medic <br />2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 overlap to such an extent that the outermost distances of each were used and <br />combined in order to determine the extent of area covered. <br />Map # 3 shows the same 4- mile /8- minute road -based boundaries as Map #2, however, this time <br />overlain onto the map illustrating the county -wide distribution of EMS call locations over the <br />past three years; 2009 -2011. <br />Map #4 includes shading over the areas of the County that currently lay outside the limits of the <br />4- mile /8- minute ALS response perimeter(s). <br />Map #5 is a duplicate of Map #4, however, this time it also includes red dots at the approximate <br />locations of each of the 20 Fire Department stations within the County; and as is the case with <br />Mebane and North Chatham Fire Departments -very near; the County. <br />Comments re: Maps <br />■ While the maps emphasize significant characteristics impacting ALS response time, they <br />(collectively) also exacerbate somewhat the previous issue having to do with ambulance <br />availability. <br />■ The areas of the County identified wherein ALS Medic Units should be able to travel within the <br />4- mile /8- minute time standard are, in fact centered within the more populated areas of the <br />County and, for the most part, proximate the major highways corridors. However, there are still <br />many hundreds of EMS calls that have been dispatched beyond these areas of coverage over the <br />past three years that have not received the same level of response. <br />■ A visual estimate of the shaded area noted in Map #4 would suggest that as much as 55 -60% of <br />the County is outside the 4- mile /8- minute ALS response perimeter. <br />■ As previously stated, the combined (potential) capabilities of the 12 Fire Departments that are <br />available to respond from 22 additional station locations could provide some assurance to areas <br />of the County that take longer than 8 minutes for EMS /ALS Units to access; however, to get to <br />the incident scene within the 4- minutes suggested for a BLS response, would mean a 2- mile /4- <br />minute Total Response Time. A response time that, as an overall or individual department <br />average, has yet to be accomplished. <br />Solutions for Local Government, Inc. 31 <br />