Next-Generation Emergency Medical Response Through Data Analysis & Planning

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

Hanover County’s Fire & EMS Department developed a program to enhance the response to emergency medical calls through unique partnerships and data analysis. To improve response times and develop a solution, partnerships were formed between the Fire & EMS Department, the Emergency Communications Department and the Statistical Sciences Department at Virginia Commonwealth University. Statistical Optimization Models were created from the Fire & EMS Department call history that demonstrated the optimal placement and configuration of current resources. This initiative included a complete overhaul of the entire system. As a result, the department restructured its response design, recreated its computer-aided dispatch system and retrained all of the personnel in both the Fire & EMS and Communications Departments. For six weeks, the county worked to improve the dispatch system to accommodate new deployment, adjusting district lines based on distance and taking into account prospects for future growth. The program was implemented with great precision and planning and the system performance exceeded previous performance standards almost immediately. Based on this analysis, the Department improved its response to EMS calls by 8 percent without adding additional resources or funding.