HRFE Service Delivery Change to Medical First Responses

To: From: Date: All Fire Roy Hollett, Deputy Fire Chief Operations Support March 3, 2014

HRFE Stations are currently working under three types of Medical First Response Models. Rural Stations are under two medical response levels: Level or Level !. Level 3: Notify my department agency for !"ime Critical# emergency calls only$ as determined %y EHS Comm&nications 'fficer( Level ): Notify my department agency for all emergency calls in o&r comm&nity. "ore Fire Stations fall under an HRFE Medical Response Model$ Level *(#his model included a self$dispatching mode% where &ES would initiate a fire response to the reported medical emergency' however without medically interrogating the caller. #he self$dispatching model was originally implemented (y HRFE Management% in an attempt to e)pedite response times to potential medical emergencies' however a review of the self$ dispatched responses% indicated that there are significant (enefits in ac*uiring further medical details from a caller to (etter determine the level of medical response. #his step can only (e completed (y a +aramedic ,ispatcher. HRFE in con-unction with EHS reviewed the pros and cons of having three different levels of medical response protocols for the entire HRM. #his review was initiated (y HRFE after receiving consistent internal in*uiries as to why HRFE was responding to a specific type of medical response and *uestions on if an HRFE response was necessary. #he review indicated that there may (e an e)isting MFR Level in place that would suit the medical response re*uirements for all of HRFE which was the e)isting Level .. HRFE will (e implementing a three month trial where all HRFE stations will

change to the MFR Level .% starting /pril 0% 120!: Level +: Notify my department agency if re,&ested %y the responding paramedics and for all cardiac arrests and motor vehicle collisions( 3nder this Medical First Responder Level% all HRFE stations 4core and rural5 will (e re*uested to respond (y Emergency Health Services 6 ,ispatch% to all motor vehicle collisions and cardiac arrests and otherwise only at the re*uest of paramedics7medical communications officer. #he is a trial of the new service level for three months' then (oth HRFE and EHS will regroup and decide whether to continue or re$ad-ust at that time. Mem(ers are encouraged to provide feed(ack on these changes through their ,ivision "ommanders to EM#. 8our feed(ack during this trail period will (e crucial for EM# to assess the affect these changes have on our service delivery /lthough the Level . MFR Model indicates 9Motor :ehicle "ollisions; as part of the e)isting response models within &ES% HRFE would already (e dispatched to the ma-ority of vehicle accidents. HRFE will also continue to respond to industrial accidents% e)plosions% fires% electrocutions% and other situations as re*uired.

RH7vp