Some fire departments are responding to fewer medical calls, here's why

Johnathan Hogan

Port Huron Times Herald

August 13, 2023

https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/local/2023/08/13/local-fire-departments-are-responding-less-to-non-emergency-medical-calls/70573039007/

The next time you call 911 to report a medical emergency, it's less likely a firefighter will join EMS responders.

A new protocol adopted by several St. Clair County fire departments has changed how they coordinate with Tri-Hospital Emergency Medical Services to respond to medical calls.

With a few exceptions, fire departments will only respond to medical incidents classified as protocol Delta or protocol Echo, the most serious and life-threatening medical incidents.

The change in emergency response was made to reduce the risk that firefighters will all be tied up in non-emergency calls in the event of a structure fire or other major incident only the fire department could address.

When will you see the fire department respond to your medical emergency?

Previously, both firefighters and Tri-Hospital EMS would respond to calls classified as Bravo and Charlie, the mid-level classification of calls, as well as Delta and Echo. Now, firefighters will no longer respond to those mid-level, non-emergency calls.

Exceptions will be made if it would take more than eight minutes to respond to the emergency.

Tri-Hospital EMS will still respond to all medical calls they receive, according to Ken Cummings, the CEO. The policy change applies only to firefighters. 

The St. Clair County Medical Control Authority adopted the new policy in February after receiving a unanimous endorsement from county fire department chiefs and a draft of the recommended changes. The policy change officially took effect in April.

The recommendation to change the policy came after the county fire departments and the Medical Control Authority conducted a study to learn how to reduce the number of responses by firefighters.

In recent years firefighters and other emergency responders have seen staffing decreases. Fire departments have seen less applications in new job postings even as the number of calls increases each year, so local fire chiefs looked for ways to reduce non-serious calls to make sure a team is always available in case of a fire.

Port Huron Township Fire Department Chief Andrew Persig endorsed the change in a presentation to Port Huron Township officials at a July 17 meeting.

“Responding to non-emergency incidents ties up fire personnel and makes them unavailable during an incident where firefighters are actually needed,” Persig wrote in a presentation.

Sixteen of St. Clair County’s fire departments have accepted this change. Six, however, have adopted an alternate policy of responding to every single medical call, regardless of the classification. Those include Kimball Township, Algonac Fire Department, Grant Township Fire Department, Greenwood Township Fire Department, Ira Township Fire Department and Kenockee Township Fire Department.

Cummings, who is a member of the Medical Control Authority, said firefighters who went to Bravo and Charlie calls sometimes had little to do to help emergency medical technicians on a call.

“There were times where all they would do is hold open the door,” Cummings said. “Clearly, that’s an unnecessary use of resources.”