Issaquah | 21 Feb 2012
Beginning this month, Eastside Fire & Rescue is partnering with Public Health — Seattle & King County’s Emergency Medical Services on the Community Medical Technician (CMT) pilot program. The CMT program utilizes firefighter personnel to serve as a single-person response unit that can be dispatched to patients requesting assistance through the 911 system, but who may not necessarily need full emergency medical response.
For several years, Public Health has recognized that all medical situations do not necessarily meet the present criteria in sending a full medical response typically answered by local fire departments. Costly fire department equipment and personnel are often sent to patients experiencing minor medical conditions, and through present criteria and protocol, a fire engine and/or aid unit must be sent to answer the call. Once these fire department units respond to such patients, they are unavailable to respond to other more severe and emergent situations in their area.
The CMT unit is staffed with one skilled firefighter/EMT that is dispatched to less-severe patients, and these units can spend more time discussing the patient’s non-emergent medical or other social needs. “The objective of the pilot program is to help in reducing non-emergent responses, identify patients who can be served by social-service assistance or other local resources, and to promote medical stability in our communities,” says Deputy Chief of Operations Greg Tryon with Eastside Fire & Rescue.
“Programs such as the Community Medical Technician project illustrate efforts by local fire departments and Public Health to utilize personnel and EMS funds in potentially more cost-effective ways, while also increasing options for assisting patients,” said Dr. Mickey Eisenberg, Medical Director for King County Emergency Medical Services Division of Public Health – Seattle & King County.
Fire and emergency medical service 911 calls have increased nearly 3% a year prior to 2009. As our aging population increases, so will the demand for emergency and non-emergency medical assistance. The CMT pilot program is meant to provide a cost and resource-efficient alternative to the typical non-emergent response calls. Eastside Fire & Rescue is one of two fire departments that will be participating in the pilot program this year. The CMT unit will be located at the Headquarters Station in downtown Issaquah where the response area will be limited to a 20-minute response radius.
