Item B - Fire/EMS Stds of Cover - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Section Four: On-Scene Operations and Critical Tasks evaluations. These calls are most frequently defined as nonspecific medical evaluations, and are indicated when the caller reports no priority symptoms in response to questioning by a trained dispatcher. Upon arrival, the first response fire suppression crew rapidly assesses the patient, determines the level of intervention needed, if any, and connects the patient with the appropriate level of assistance. Most frequently these calls result in a patient evaluation conducted by the suppression crew. Options for patient intervention include providing medical evaluation and advice to a patient who does not require transport to a medical facility. In some cases, after a field evaluation has determined that no medical intervention is required, the patient is left in the care of a relative or other appropriate responsible party who will either monitor the situation or transport the patient to a medical facility by private vehicle. In certain situations, the responding crews can access the local CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance - Helping Out On The Streets) program. This non-emergency service is provided by the City in partnership with the White Bird Clinic. It consists of a non-emergency transport unit (without stretcher) staffed by civilian emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and designed to handle mental crisis intervention, intoxicated subjects, and some eligible social service needs. First response fire crews also have the option of requesting an ALS transport unit if needed and no other options are available, or if CAHOOTS is already committed to another call. Because of the limited CAHOOTS system capacity, this situation occurs frequently. This type of tiered response has been implemented because engine and truck companies in our system are staffed with trained paramedics, and these companies are more numerous and have greater workload capacity than ALS medic units in the system. This practice lowers the volume of medic unit responses and resolves a substantial number of situations that can most often be handled in another way. The department has also investigated a variety of alternative means of facilitating transport when conditions fall outside of the emergency medical system parameters. For requested non-emergent transports from a medical facility -- including certified nursing facilities, doctors' offices, medical clinics, assisted living facilities, foster care homes - or a doctor's or home health care nurse's request for transport from any location - a medic unit is dispatched to the location on a non-emergency basis. The department works with local providers to pre-schedule as many of these as possible, to further distribute the work load evenly across the system. EMS calls for service often require treatment for more than one patient. These calls include vehicle accidents, chemical exposures, construction or industrial accidents, fires, and any other event that occurs with several people in close proximity. Patient conditions can range from minor cuts and bruises to life-threatening illnesses or injuries. In addition to providing additional EMS system capacity, our first-response fire companies also serve to augment our two-person ambulance crews at all emergency medical incidents. This is done to expedite life-saving treatment when required, and to ensure that there are enough trained responders on scene to handle the incident safely and effectively. 43