Automatic Medical Alarm Response

[v85 212]

What is your department's response to Automatic Medical Alarms? In the VAC I'm a member of, alarms get a full BLS response of 1 ambulance, 1 EMT to the scene, and usually 1 or 2 pd units (I believe all are CFR-D) depending on availablity.

[x129K 1,393]

MEdical Alert with NO voice contact is a Priority 3 response getting an ALS Ambulance and and Engine Company

[citystation1848 15]

If no contact is made, in Dutchess County it is a Priority 3, ALS Ambulance and Fire Dept.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

1 bls ambulance, 1 als fly car and 1 pd unit.

[KC2OBW 1]

The rescue squad I vol. for I don't know the procedure for sure, but I remember one time, we had a Medic on duty, and she followed behind in the fly car, most of the time pd rolls on anything that might sound serious (from what I heard most or all New Paltz pd hold a CFR cert)

[ny10570 745]

BLS and PD. If unable to gain access, FD or ESU responds to force the door.

Edited March 16, 2009 by ny10570

[NWFDMedic 58]

If no contact is made, in Dutchess County it is a Priority 3, ALS Ambulance and Fire Dept.

That's only in ALS contract areas in Dutchess. I was pretty sure in volunteer areas, it was BLS only, and I heard a dispatch this morning to confirm the same. It actually kind of surprised me because I thought 4th party calls with no info always went P-1 in Dutchess.

It would be interesting to see if there's a study out there regarding automatic medical alarms. I would imagine the percentage of actual patients (even with no contact) is probably fairly high compared with automatic fire alarms. Just from my experience I'd say probably 30% of my no contact AMA's are actual patients, and probably just more than half of that subset end up being ALS.

[v85 212]

Thanks for the help everyone.

By the way, what is priority 1 and priority 3? Is it the same as Code 1 and Code 3? The only code my county uses is Alpha Response.

[Guest EFFP411]

Thanks for the help everyone.

By the way, what is priority 1 and priority 3? Is it the same as Code 1 and Code 3? The only code my county uses is Alpha Response.

In Dutchess County, the priority system is "supposed" to works as follows:

Priority 4- BLS ambulance only, Alpha/code1 response

Priority 3- BLS response, code 3, lights and siren response

Priority 2- BLS Code 3, ALS alpha (alpha/code 3 response left to ALS agencies discrecion)

Priority 1- BLS and ALS code 3 response, FD/CFR response, Area PD given a medical advisement

Now every agency has their own rules/SOGs for each response, reguarding Alpha/code 3, whether or not FD responds outside of a special request, etc. But this is the original theory and setup behind it

[v85 212]

Thanks.

Our county's 911 center is an EMD Center, and has all of those codes and the EMD call codes, but they don't use them for some reason.

[Guest EFFP411]

Thanks.

Our county's 911 center is an EMD Center, and has all of those codes and the EMD call codes, but they don't use them for some reason.

I work in Orange County on occasion, and it still confuses me ALOT... LOL Ulster and Dutchess are pretty straight forward, though I'm sure if you are used to Orange, it's probably easier cause it's what you know

[Remember585 815]

Our procedure is to send our Ambulance and the Medic. This of course only happens when the alarm is received by the PD and they don't do a "Check & Advise" on it.

[FiftyOnePride 100]

That's only in ALS contract areas in Dutchess. I was pretty sure in volunteer areas, it was BLS only, and I heard a dispatch this morning to confirm the same. It actually kind of surprised me because I thought 4th party calls with no info always went P-1 in Dutchess.

It would be interesting to see if there's a study out there regarding automatic medical alarms. I would imagine the percentage of actual patients (even with no contact) is probably fairly high compared with automatic fire alarms. Just from my experience I'd say probably 30% of my no contact AMA's are actual patients, and probably just more than half of that subset end up being ALS.

That would be how we roll for a AMA with no contact.

[NWFDMedic 58]

I work in Orange County on occasion, and it still confuses me ALOT... LOL Ulster and Dutchess are pretty straight forward, though I'm sure if you are used to Orange, it's probably easier cause it's what you know

You think it's confusing now Rob, you should have worked the OC back in the day. Almost every agency had their own dispatch... here's a little sampling of our old radio plan:

Channel 3 - Base 3, used to contact Town of Newburgh PD (dispatches TONVAC)

Channel 4 - Base 5, used to contact New Windsor PD (dispatches NWVAC)

Channel 5 - Base 4, used to contact Cornwall PD (dispatches COVAC)

Channel 6 - Highlands Base, used to contact Highlands PD (dispatches THAC)

Channel 9 - 473, used to contact Walden PD (dispatches Montgomery VAC)

Channel 12 - WAU718, used to contact Sheriffs Dept (dispatches Otisville and Florida ambulance.. sort of)

- 510 delta, used to contact Cullins Communications (dispatches BGVAC, GOVAC, CVAC, TOWVAC, GVAC)

- 460, used to contact someone somewhere who dispatches Lenape Ambulance

- 200 charlie, used to contact Warwick PD (dispatches Warwick VAC)

- 593, used to contact Greenwood Lake PD (dispatches GLVAC)

Channel 13 - Finchville tower version of Channel 12 which was on Beacon

Channel 14 - Pine Bush dispatch, forget what they called themselves to contact Crawford PD

Channel 16 - 410, used to contact Monroe PD (dispatches MOVAC)

Channel 17 - Woodbury Base, used to contact Woodbury PD (dispatches WVAC)

We never had communication with Tuxedo because we didn't need it. Port Jervis was also on channel 12, but I don't remember who dispatched them. My favorite time was when we went into Walker Valley... you were expected to switch to 13 for 718, 14 for PB dispatch and 26 for Ulster Comm. manage all 4 and hear anyone calling you on any of the 4.

[v85 212]

Jeez. Who thought that radio plan was a good idea? Luckily they fixed it up somewhat since then.