EMS, 911 response times drop

Minutes and seconds can mean everything when an emergency vehicle is dispatched — and Orange County Emergency Services is making that time count.

Last year, the Board of County Commissioners approved a study to look at improving EMS and 911 response times, said Jim Groves, the county director of Emergency Services.

Earlier this month, the department released a report stating the county has seen improved 911 dispatch times and EMS response times after implementing new strategies in response to red flags raised in the report last year.

The average 911 dispatch time dropped from 2 minutes and 42 seconds in 2011 to 1 minute and 25 seconds in 2013. Average EMS response times have also decreased — from 10 minutes and 46 seconds to 9 minutes and 45 seconds.

The data collected showed the county’s response times were longer than the national average for similar communities, Groves said.

“If you look, national best practices says that certain types of communities should have certain response times,” he said. “Orange County was above that number. That was the real driving force behind the new strategies.”

In October 2012, the commissioners received a report of short- and long-term plans for improvement of response and dispatch times, as well as 19 recommendations for methods, Groves said. Then a group of emergency responders, officials and citizens gave their nod of approval for the recommendations they found promising.

According to Emergency Services’ latest report, these new strategies have been successful in cutting down response times.

“Seconds can mean the difference between life and death,” Groves said. “Any time we can cut down even just seconds we have much more of an opportunity to have an impact on someone’s life.”

One of the ways they have reached these reduced times is by having EMS work with the county’s fire departments. Ambulances now wait at the fire departments so when a call comes in, they are more likely to be closer to the location.

Matt Lawrence, the deputy fire chief in Chapel Hill, said he thinks the new strategies were much needed.

“From the data that was collected, we could see that there were some places in Orange County that were taking 18 minutes to get on scene,” Lawrence said. “From a patient care perspective, when there are people who need urgent care, response times have to be as fast as possible.”

By co-locating with the fire department, Groves said the county is saving money by not having to build new structures to house the vehicles and staff needed to respond to emergency calls — costs that would be close to $1 million per structure, he said.

Automatic Vehicle Location devices are also being employed, according to the report. When a call comes in, a computer can determine which ambulance is closest to the call and dispatch it immediately.

Groves says EMS administrators are pleased with the improvements from 2011 — but some of the most significant plans have been implemented this year. He said he hopes over the next nine to 12 months, the county will see even larger drops.

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