scholarly journals 12. The Potential Benefits of a Fire Safety Program Within Emergency Medical Services: A Point-of-Contact Intervention

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (S2) ◽  
pp. S27-S27
Author(s):  
Ronald G. Pirrallo ◽  
Jonathan M. Rubin ◽  
Ronald K. Meyer ◽  
Gloria A. Murawsky
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Fire Safety ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Response Property ◽  
Smoke Detector ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Fire Condition ◽  
Loss Estimate

Purpose: To determine how often house fires occur at addresses visited previously for emergency medical services (EMS) and were these visits missed opportunities for a point-of-contact fire safety intervention.Method: Retrospective analysis of all Fire Department (FD) responses during 1994. Data studied with descriptive statistics: reason for response, property type, dollar loss estimate, injuries, fatalities, fire cause, smoke detector operation.Results: The FD responded to 94,378 requests for service at 43,556 addresses. 27,406 addresses generated one response. However, 16,150 addresses had multiple requests, receiving 66,972 responses. For the multiple requests, 1,162 addresses had a fire condition of which 728 addresses requested EMS prior to the fire condition. 215 were one/two-family dwelling addresses receiving 489 responses; mean 2.3 EMS responses prior to the fire condition. 182/215 (85%) of these addresses had complete data, incurring a dollar loss estimate of [US]$2,017,470, 33 injuries and 0 fatalities. The top five causes for the fire condition were children playing with smoking materials, arson, suspicious, scorched food and undetermined. 87/182 (49%) of the one/two-family dwellings had a smoke detector present. However, only 31/182 (17%) of the dwellings had an operational smoke detector.

scholarly journals Customer Satisfaction in a Large Urban Fire Department Emergency Medical Services System

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Persse ◽  
Jeffrey L. Jarvis ◽  
Jerry Corpening ◽  
Bobbie Harris
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Urban Fire

A Paramedic’s Christmas Story

2020 ◽  
pp. 194084472093905
Author(s):  
John De La Garza
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
San Antonio ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Medical

I identify my experience as a professional paramedic as one of chaos and personal rupture. My story is one of survival. My quest is to have the experience count for something more than just having done the job. Through an insider’s perspective I have traced the time that I spent in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) of the San Antonio Fire Department by reflecting, interpreting, and analyzing a collection of dramatic events that significantly impacted my life both personally and professionally. I describe my time in EMS as one of chaos and personal rupture. Although this account is a representation of one twenty-four-hour shift, it is the prelude to a much deeper story that remained untold for 30 years.

Emergency Medical Vehicle Collisions in an Urban System

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Biggers ◽  
Brian S. Zachariah ◽  
Paul E. Pepe
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Urban System ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Injury Incidence ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
History Of ◽  
Unexplored Area ◽  
Disproportionate Number

AbstractIntroduction:Emergency medical services collisions (EMVCs) are a largely unexplored area of emergency medical services (EMS) research. Factors that might contribute to an EMVC are numerous and include use of warning lights and siren (WL&S). Few of these factors have been evaluated scientifically. Similarly, the incidence and severity of EMVCs is poorly documented in the literature. This study sought to define the incidence and severity of, and where possible, identify any contributing factors to EMVCs in a large urban system.Methods:Retrospective study of all collisions involving vehicles assigned to the EMS Division of the Houston Fire Department in calendar year 1993. Fifty-one ambulances were operational 24 hours per day during calendar year 1993. Houston EMS received 150,000 requests for assistance, made 180,000 vehicular responses, and accrued 2,651,760 miles in 1993.Results:Eighty-six EMVCs were identified during the study period. The gross incidence rate was therefore 3.2 EMVC/100,000 miles driven or 4.8 collisions/10,000 responses. Of the 86 EMVCs, 74 (86%) files were complete and available for evaluation. Major collisions, determined according to injuries or vehicular damage, accounted for 10.8% of all EMVCs. There were 17 persons transported to hospitals from EMS collisions, yielding an injury incidence of 0.64 injuries/100,000 miles driven or 0.94 injuries/10,000 responses. There were no fatalities. The majority of collisions (85.1%) occurred at some site other than an intersection. There was no statistical association between occurrence at an intersection and severity, day versus night, weekend versus weekday, presence or absence of precipitation, or use of WL&S versus severity of collision. Drivers with a history of previous EMVCs were involved in 33% of all collisions. The presence of prior EMVCs was associated (p < 0.001) with the number of persons transported from the collision to a local hospital. Five drivers, all with previous EMVCs, accounted for 88.2% (15/17) of all injuries.Conclusions:A few drivers with previous EMVCs account for a disproportionate number of EMVCs and nearly 90% of all injuries. This risk factor—history of previous EMVC—has not been reported in the EMS literature. It is postulated that this factor ultimately will prove to be the major determinant of EMVCs. Data collection of EMS collisions needs to be standardized and a proposed collection tool is provided.

Customer Satisfaction in a Large Urban Fire Department Emergency Medical Services System

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Persse ◽  
Jeffrey L. Jarvis ◽  
Jerry Corpening ◽  
Bobbie Harris
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Urban Fire

Abstract T P349: Pre-Hospital Notification by Emergency Medical Services and Improved Stroke Care

Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Love ◽  
Jessica Schneiderman
Keyword(s):  
Ct Scan ◽  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Stroke Patient ◽  
Early Recognition ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Stroke Care ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Scan Time ◽  
Stroke Team

Background: In rural settings, distance is a factor when medical assistance is critical. Every minute can make a difference in treatment and recovery of a stroke patient. Early recognition and notification of a possible stroke are key elements in the chain of survival for stroke victims. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) involvement in pre-hospital notification of a stroke patient can improve assessment and diagnostic times and use of alteplase. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare times of specific assessments, diagnostics, and treatments with EMS stroke alert activation prior to arrival compared to stroke alert activation by hospital personnel after patient arrival. Methods: In the setting of a rural, community hospital, the local fire department/paramedics were trained to use a screening tool and to provide pre-hospital activation of a stroke alert. The trial demonstrated positive results. Subsequently, education was disseminated to EMS providers throughout the five county service area. Data was collected from January to December 2013, with 30 alerts activated by Emergency Department (ED) personnel and 22 activated by EMS pre-hospital (n=52). Data consisted of times from door to: physician, Computer Tomography (CT) scan, CT read, laboratory, stroke team, decision for alteplase, and needle time. Results: The average time from door to physician yielded a decrease by 13 minutes for an EMS alert compared to ED alert. Average door to CT scan time were decreased by 6 minutes using the EMS alert. Average times from door to laboratory completion decreased by 5 minutes using the EMS alert. Average time for door to stroke team was decreased by 9 minutes using the EMS alert. Door to needle times did not differ between groups, but the percentage of patients receiving alteplase increased in the EMS alert group (18.2% with EMS alert compared to 3.3% with an ED alert). Conclusion: In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest times for assessment are improved through EMS pre-notification and early initiation of the hospital stroke-alert system. It also shows an increase in the use of alteplase when there is pre-hospital notification of a potential stroke patient.

scholarly journals Public access defibrillation: utilisation and missed opportunities

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Cunningham ◽  
Jared R Lowe ◽  
Arthur Johnson ◽  
William Carter ◽  
William M Whited ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Assisted Living Facilities ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Private Homes ◽  
Missed Opportunity

IntroductionAutomated external defibrillators (AEDs) for public use are becoming increasingly prevalent, but little is known about utilisation. The purpose of this study was to compare the locations of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) to the locations of AEDs to determine whether missed opportunities exist.MethodsA retrospective study was performed of all OHCAs in which resuscitation was attempted between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2010 in Orange County, North Carolina, United States of America, a mixed suburban/rural emergency medical services (EMS) system. Emergency medical services records were used to determine public AED utilisation and OHCA location. The locations were plotted on a map using ArcGIS. Businesses, public buildings and facilities located within a 100 metre radius of each OHCA were surveyed to determine AED availability. Data were analysed using standard descriptive statistics.ResultsDuring the study period, 307 OHCAs occurred at 282 locations. Of these, 219 (71%) occurred in private homes, 26 (9%) in nursing or assisted living facilities, and 62 (20%) in public locations. An AED location was within 100 metres of an OHCA location in 22 cases. Five cases were excluded due to the arrest being witnessed by EMS, and late or unknown AED installation time. Of the remaining 17 OHCAs, seven (41%) had a nearby AED that was not used, constituting a missed opportunity for deployment.ConclusionIn nearly half of OHCAs that have a nearby public AED, the AED was not utilised. This suggests that public awareness and accessibility of AED locations should be improved.

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