Wednesday March 15, 2017

Nature: Medical Emergency Assistance Alerts

City: Millsboro

Fire District: Indian River

During the most recent period of January 1, 2017 thru March 14, 2017, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company responded and provided assistance to the local emergency medical service (EMS) providers within our immediate fire district.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is defined as a network of services coordinated to provide aid and medical assistance from primary response to definitive care, involving personnel trained in the rescue, stabilization, transportation, and advanced or basic treatment of traumatic or medical emergencies. Operations are linked by a communication system that operates on both a local and a regional level, EMS is a tiered system of care, which is usually initiated by citizen action in the form of a telephone call to an emergency number. Subsequent stages include the emergency medical dispatch, first medical responder, ambulance personnel, medium and/or heavy rescue equipment, and paramedic units, if necessary.

While the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company does not own or operate any ambulance type service vehicles, we are proud to assist our community and immediate fire district in their times of need.

During this aforementioned time period, the Indian River Volunteer Fire was dispatched or alerted a total of 115 times of which 67% were for emergency medical services related alerts and 48% were fire or rescue services related alerts.

Of the 67% which were for the emergency medical service alerts, 55% was for basic life support assistance and the remainder 45% was for advanced life support assistance. Basic life support serves indicated that there were no paramedic units being dispatched to the initial incident alert. Of these alerts 15% was cardiac arrest incident alarms.

As the diversity and complexity of the Indian River fire district changes, the impact to the community service organization also changes.

Additional information regarding the Sussex County Emergency Medical Service Operations can be viewed at https://www.sussexcountyde.gov/emergency-medical-services