Fire Service-Based EMS Awards Presented at 29th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner
Masimo has announced that the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) has honored the Orange County (Florida) Fire Rescue Department and the Montgomery County (Maryland) Fire & Rescue Service with the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award for best practices and innovative solutions in the delivery of emergency medical services. The awards presentation took place on April 6th in Washington, DC. Masimo is proud to be a co-sponsor of this award.
Orange County (Florida) Fire Rescue Department
The Orange County Fire Rescue Department was awarded the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award in recognition of the development of two best practices. The first is the Sepsis Alert Program, which educates EMS providers to better identify potential cases of severe sepsis among patients in pre-hospital settings, as early recognition and treatment may improve patient outcomes and lessen the financial impact of prolonged hospital stays. The program is modeled after similar “alert” programs that trigger EMS responders to initiate certain procedures, such as programs designed to recognize signs of stroke and cardiac arrest. Preliminary results since establishing the Sepsis Alert Program have included reductions in time to blood culture, time to administer antibiotics, time to administer fluids, length of hospital stay, and percentage admitted to the ICU.
The other best practice, the Paramedic Preceptor Academy, was developed to increase pass rates for Orange County’s new paramedics, as well as to improve training and continuing education opportunities identified through the department’s quality assurance process. As a result of the improved and standardized training, in the first year of the program first-time pass rates on written and practical assessments have increased dramatically. Several other central Florida fire departments are now also participating in the Paramedic Preceptor Academy, in the hopes of seeing similar results.
Montgomery County (Maryland) Fire & Rescue Service
The Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service was awarded the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award in recognition of the creation of an outreach initiative called Montgomery County Non-Emergency Invention and Community Care Coordination (MCNIC3). Montgomery County developed MCNIC3 to address the disparity between the volume of emergency 911 calls, which continues to grow, and EMS resources, which have stayed relatively flat. Much of the growth in 911 calls is a result of low-priority calls from frequent 911 users. MCNIC3 targets these frequent 911 users and attempts to connect them with a variety of community-based medical and social programs, in an effort to better meet their ongoing healthcare needs without taking emergency care away from those with true emergency needs. Firefighters and EMS providers are able to refer any patient they encounter to the MCNIC3 program. By partnering with local hospitals, the health department, and various community groups, MCNIC3 can arrange periodic in-person visits to ensure that the patients’ healthcare needs are being met without straining county resources. To date, MCNIC3 has reduced calls for emergency service from those patients enrolled in the program by 55%. There are plans to expand the scope of the program and develop additional community partnerships.
“CFSI takes great pride in co-sponsoring the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Awards with Masimo,” said Dr. William F. Jenaway, Ph.D., President of CFSI. “Through this awards program, we are able to recognize innovations in the delivery of emergency medical services throughout the nation. The recipients of the 2017 award, Orange and Montgomery Counties, certainly demonstrated themselves worthy of this recognition by developing outstanding new programs that improve training, distribute resources more wisely, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. We hope other departments around the country will be inspired to introduce similar innovations.”
“Firefighters and emergency services personnel are our heroes. In saving lives, they put their own on the line for us every day. It’s crucial they have the training and resources they need to provide the best care for those they protect. Recognizing the possibility of and intervening to address sepsis as soon as possible, for example, can significantly improve patient outcomes,” said Joe Kiani, Founder and CEO of Masimo. “Masimo is honored to co-sponsor this awards program with CFSI and to recognize Orange and Montgomery Counties for their innovative achievements.”
Approximately 1,600 fire and emergency services leaders attended the 29th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner to pay tribute to the dedication and commitment of the nation's fire and emergency services providers. Hosted by CFSI, the annual dinner benefits the mission of the non-profit policy organization, which is designed to educate members ofCongress about fire and life safety issues. This year’s honored speakers were four co-chairs of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus: Senator Susan Collins (ME), Senator Tom Carper (DE), Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD05) and Congressman Bill Pascrell (NJ09).
The Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Awards Program was established in 2010 to recognize volunteer, career, and combination fire departments for excellence in and enhancements to the delivery of emergency medical services. By showcasing their best practices, the awards program provides ideas for other fire departments to consider implementing as they seek to improve their fire service-based EMS systems.
Source & Image Credit: Masimo
