Research paper on response times

[Angie]

I'm doing a research paper for my Socy class comparing ambulance response times in counties with one county-wide service to counties with multiple companies in service. it seems the only response averages I can find are for companies that messed up and it's reported in an article. The counties that I need info for are:

Plymouth County, MA

Hampden County, MA

Guilford County, NC

Arapahoe County, CO

Washington County, OR

Chester County, PA

(and these are just a start. I don't know yet what type of services these counties have, they just fit the demographic size and population parameters I have set.)

Any help that could be offered would be greatly appreciated. I've tried darned near every combination of ambulance response times, EMS, Jems, everything I can think of....I think my hair is falling out!!!

[Ridryder 911]

Does your state not have a EMS Registry Data Report ?.. Most states require an annual report including the average response times, number of personnel etc.. that way they to obtain Federal Funding, grants, etc... contact your state EMS agency to see, they should have everything on file.

Good luck,

R/r 911

[strippel]

Well, I can tell you that you will have trouble getting info from Chester County, PA.

EMS is provided by multiple agencies. Some are still hospital based ALS, some are independent EMS (both ALS and/or BLS), but most are volunteer fire companies. You will frequently get multiple agencies on a call. Separate ALS (either chase or MICU), with a BLS transport, and maybe VFD Quick Response, or even a helicopter. It is a VERY fragmented system.

Check here...

[web:7a67ca2623]http://dsf.chesco.org/des/site/default.asp[/web:7a67ca2623]

or here...

[web:7a67ca2623]http://www.chescoems.org/[/web:7a67ca2623]

[rsqudan]

I to have recently proposed a research paper on the abuse of the 911 system. People will call 911 for anything, and we all know about these so called "frequent fliers". We get a call to John Doe's house again and while I'm there, all our other ambulances are covered on non-emergency transports, we have another "real" 911 call that doesn't involve John Doe's headache today. There is nothing more frustrating than getting out of the bed at 4 in the morning for a bull crap call that ties up someone's "real life emergency". My research paper showed that not only was response time slowed by the emergence of nuisance calls such as this but it also gave providers a mindset that every call that they receive at that address will be a bull crap call. So hence we have another story of crying wolf. Similarly I did notice in my research that people would respond slower to calls that are dispatched similarly to bull crap calls. IE almost %80 of the calls that were "illness" in nature were ran as a bull crap call. In other words, the provider may get a soda, use the bathroom, or other things to take there time instead of running the call code 3 until told otherwise. Maybe you could focus your research on these topics because there are no real findings of researchers who have researched the topic of abuse of the 911 system except for myself that I could find.

[Angie]

I live in Genesee County, MI and we also have a multi-company system. "OUR" County commissioners have consulted with a company and did a study. This consultant said that we need to completely change our system to one county-wide company. Our system works. we do have issues but we all work we together. We could have an MVA with 2 or 3 different companies on seen. Most of our companies are BLS with some ALS we also have County Sheriff deputy paramedics in E units. Our problem is dispatching. Dispatch has to call by phone starting with the closest company in the area and work their way out until they find an available rig. It's not our response times that's the problem, it's the time that it takes to find a rig. But they have told the public in the paper that our response times are awful (NOT TRUE!) When they reported it to the public they added tier1,2, and 3 calls together and average them out. Of course our response times will look bad that way! It was proposed that we all get one radio system and GPS and that should fix the problem, but they don't want to hear it. Somebody is rubbing their greedy little paws together salivating over the money that funds the GCSD Echos. So, this is what made me decide to study this topic. Its been so difficult finding the information that I need that I wished I'd chosen sex in Disney cartoons instead!! It would have been WAY easier!

[Ridryder 911]

I. Most of our companies are BLS with some ALS we also have County Sheriff deputy paramedics in E units. Our problem is dispatching. Dispatch has to call by phone starting with the closest company in the area and work their way out until they find an available rig. It's not our response times that's the problem, it's the time that it takes to find a rig. But they have told the public in the paper that our response times are awful (NOT TRUE!) When they reported it to the public they added tier1,2, and 3 calls together and average them out. Of course our response times will look bad that way! It was proposed that we all get one radio system and GPS and that should fix the problem, but they don't want to hear it. Somebody is rubbing their greedy little paws together salivating over the money that funds the GCSD Echos.

Well your contradicting yourself here. First, are you wanting to do a research paper or wanting to write a paper on your views? These are two totally different things. Having a biased opinion and not looking at all full facts will not represent a true research paper.. you have even contradicted yourself in this short paragraph.

First, there is not a Paramedic on the call and it is a ALS call, when there are Paramedics in the area that are not responding ... there is a problem with the system. Short & simple.

Second from your own statements " Dispatch has to call by phone starting with the closest company...." there is a problem.. and sorry, you can not tell me it does not effect your response time. From call to arrival time, that is response time..not, the time it took your unit. Trying to find a rig ?... Meanwhile the patient is not breathing...What kind of system is that ?

Third: Ever heard of too many chefs theory .. the same is true in EMS. Why is there so many response agencies ? Would it not be better for the patient to have one major EMS with Paramedics on each unit ? Again, lets think of patient benefits not ourselves. Actually a combined EMS might be better for all, with potential increase in run volume and maybe even pay raise for the medics.

"Somebody is rubbing their greedy little paws together salivating over the money that funds the GCSD Echos" .. sounds like too many greedy little paws are in the system already... multi EMS agencies within a community has been proven not to be beneficial for the patient, system, and career of EMS personnel.

Good luck on your study.... be sure to keep an open mind.

R/r 911

[Dustdevil]

Maybe it's just me, but all of this seems a lot simpler than the researchers and consultants want to make it.

If your response times are too slow, you don't have enough ambulances. Period.

What's hard about that? We can whine and moan about abusers and mutual aid responses all day, but the bottom line is that you need more ambulances. While Rid's "too many chefs" theory is a valid one, it does not absolutely preclude individual communities from having their own services and not giving up their local control to a county-wide system. What almost always happens in those cases is those communities end up with worse service and RT's because now their dedicated service is busy making crap runs in the big city. It's robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The consultants are morons.

[JakeEMTP]

Maybe it's just me, but all of this seems a lot simpler than the researchers and consultants want to make it.

If your response times are too slow, you don't have enough ambulances. Period.

Or the Volunteers that staff those ambulances are busy at their other EMS jobs.

This has been covered ad nauseam. My bad. :oops:

[craig]

I'm doing a research paper for my Socy class comparing ambulance response times in counties with one county-wide service to counties with multiple companies in service. it seems the only response averages I can find are for companies that messed up and it's reported in an article. The counties that I need info for are:

Plymouth County, MA

Hampden County, MA

Guilford County, NC

Arapahoe County, CO

Washington County, OR

Chester County, PA

(and these are just a start. I don't know yet what type of services these counties have, they just fit the demographic size and population parameters I have set.)

Any help that could be offered would be greatly appreciated. I've tried darned near every combination of ambulance response times, EMS, Jems, everything I can think of....I think my hair is falling out!!!

might help , our services site has all the details about our responses

check them out at

www.asnsw.nsw.gov.au

might help, might not be needed but ives perspective from OS

stay safe

[craig]

thats

www.asnsw.health.nsw.gov.au

sorry

stay safe