annual report-2009.pdf - The City of Titusville, Florida

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Q: What does “chain of survival” mean A: “Chain of Survival” is a phrase used to describe the protocols that have been instituted to improve the survival rate of patients suffering from significant medical emergencies. The chain begins with basic life support measures provided by citizens on the scene of the emergency, such as Citizen CPR. The next in the chain is rapid emergency medical intervention by trained emergency responders with advanced equipment, followed by rapid emergency transport to a hospital that can initiate additional life saving procedures and measures. Q: “When I make an emergency medical call via 911, why do I have both a fire truck from Titusville and an ambulance from Brevard County show up 177 community members were taught Citizen CPR in 2009 Community Blood Pressures Checked in 2009: 1,615 Our department provides blood pressure checks at every fire station. In addition, on Sunday mornings from 10-11 a.m., we staff 4 community locations to provide this free health service throughout our community. A: Titusville’s fire trucks carry advanced life support equipment and licensed paramedic personnel. Our arrival on scene is 3 or more minutes prior to that of Brevard County’s ambulance units. This provides a more immediate response to a medical emergency. This question is asked of us frequently. The answer is simple in content, but complex in nature. Today, when the caller is in need of assistance—from cats in trees to severe trauma and sudden death from cardiac or stroke-related emergencies—911 is dialed. Titusville’s four strategically placed fire stations (with a total of five ALS units) and firefighters licensed and trained in advanced life saving skills are able to provide a more rapid, expertly skilled crew response to any emergency location within the city of Titusville in under 5 minutes. By design, this rapid “first responder” ability of applying advanced life support at the earliest opportunity is statistically proven to result in improved outcomes from patients suffering from cardiac, stroke and trauma. This rapid implementation of pre-hospital patient care in the “chain of survival” protocol is a substantial factor in why TFES had a 28% patient survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest in 2009 versus the national average of 3% - 5% (based on the new AHA 2010 estimations). In addition, our city’s Community CPR training program, initiated last year in partnership between our department and Parrish Medical Center, provides the earliest possible on-scene basic life support benefit to the cardiac patient. Citizen CPR intervention coupled with advanced components such as defibrillation, drug therapies and advanced airway skills (as provided by ALS first responder units) meets the American Heart Association stance on pre-hospital survival success. 13
Q: So why does an ambulance also come if the firefighters are providing this advanced life support level of care A: This “two-tier system” of pre-hospital first responder services followed by ambulance transport is in place per Brevard County Charter . The Fire Rescue Division of Brevard County is the transport provider from the emergency scene to the hospital, which completes the recommended chain of survival guideline for preferred treatment. Brevard County has retained sole authority for emergency transport capabilities in our county, as allowed by state statute. Currently, they have 3 ambulance transport units positioned in north Brevard to cover 235 square miles north of Kings Highway to the Volusia County line and from the St. Johns River east to the Indian River, also including S.R. 402 east to the Playalinda Beach area. During 2009, 84% of the medical calls within Titusville required emergency transport to a hospital facility. Continuity of patient care or additional emergency medical assistance can require Titusville personnel to assist Brevard County Fire Rescue with either patient care in the back of the transport unit or by driving of the transport unit itself. Overlapping calls for emergency medical service in Titusville in 2009 occurred at a rate of 29% for two emergencies at the same time. Titusville Fire and Emergency Services’ unit availability throughout its four station locations can easily provide medical response calls that overlap in our area, but we do not have statistics from BCFR on how overlapping medical calls that require transport affect response or transport delays. ᄋ ♥ 484 (9.6% of medical calls) were cardiac related calls ♥ 54 (13.01% of cardiac related calls) involved cardiac arrest ♥ 15 (28%) of arrested patients were successfully resuscitated by Titusville Fire and Emergency Services personnel ᄋ 55 patients were issued Stroke Alert Status and transported to PMC 14
Page 1 and 2: TITUSVILLE Fire and Emergency Servi
Page 3 and 4: VISION STATEMENT Titusville Fire an
Page 5 and 6: Fire Chief Charles Bogle Operations
Page 7 and 8: Justin Chase Senior Fire Inspector
Page 9 and 10: Firefighter/EMT Zackery Boone Firef
Page 11 and 12: The majority of our department’s
Page 13 and 14: 2009 Fire Calls 23 4 52 48 32 Natur
Page 15: 2009 EMS Calls 55 2148 889 484 322
Page 19 and 20: Our department cultivates working r
Page 21 and 22: PLANS EXAMINED Site Plans 59 Buildi
Page 23 and 24: Our department manages to the botto
Page 25: Department sponsored community dinn

annual report-2009.pdf - The City of Titusville, Florida

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