Prioritizing EMS Calls During Snowstorms

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This probably should be the obvious rules during snowstorms, but it obviously isn't, at least with the agencies I'm listening too.

Why are ambulance calls not prioritized during snowstorms?

Let's assume the EMD process is used for more then just pre-arrival instructions. An ambulance is dispatched for a person who stubbed their toe two days ago, is a known "frequent flyer", and was properly EMD'd to weed out anything else that could be going on.

2 minutes into that response, a call comes in for a 45 y/o male with chest pain and difficulty breathing after shoveling snow. At this point, the ambulance responding is 4 minutes away from the stubbed toe, and 6 minutes away from the chest pain. ALS is dispatched to both, but the closest is going to the stubbed toe, and the Flycar from the next district 10-15 minutes away in weather conditions is dispatched to the chest pain. Also note the ambulance corps has to page out for another crew, because their standby crew is going to the stubbed toe.

Why can't ambulances and flycars be diverted to more acute and higher priority calls if enroute to lower priority calls, and/or hold the stubbed toe until the next available BLS ambulance, and why send a flycar?

Keep in mind, I know this is everyday in some places, but I'm referring to response times and critical care during snowstorms. And this is yet another example of when we need to let our professional dispatchers do their jobs and use their training and educated judgment.

[FireMedic049 597]

This probably should be the obvious rules during snowstorms, but it obviously isn't, at least with the agencies I'm listening too.

Why are ambulance calls not prioritized during snowstorms?

Let's assume the EMD process is used for more then just pre-arrival instructions. An ambulance is dispatched for a person who stubbed their toe two days ago, is a known "frequent flyer", and was properly EMD'd to weed out anything else that could be going on.

2 minutes into that response, a call comes in for a 45 y/o male with chest pain and difficulty breathing after shoveling snow. At this point, the ambulance responding is 4 minutes away from the stubbed toe, and 6 minutes away from the chest pain. ALS is dispatched to both, but the closest is going to the stubbed toe, and the Flycar from the next district 10-15 minutes away in weather conditions is dispatched to the chest pain. Also note the ambulance corps has to page out for another crew, because their standby crew is going to the stubbed toe.

Why can't ambulances and flycars be diverted to more acute and higher priority calls if enroute to lower priority calls, and/or hold the stubbed toe until the next available BLS ambulance, and why send a flycar?

Keep in mind, I know this is everyday in some places, but I'm referring to response times and critical care during snowstorms. And this is yet another example of when we need to let our professional dispatchers do their jobs and use their training and educated judgment.

Don't have that problem in my area. We routinely divert to higher priority calls on a daily basis.

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Just asking. If you are the Crew Chief/EMT and responding in Ambulance #1 to call #1, the presumed lower priority call, and call #2 is sent out and appears to be of a higher priority, can the Crew Chief/EMT self divert to the higher priority call and instruct his dispatch to have Ambulance #2 take in Call #1 when the crew assembles for response?