Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee

Regulation of Emergency Medical Services: Phase 2
Appendix C

Appendix C
Survey of the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs)  

NAME OF PSAP _________________________________  PHONE # ___________________

LIST TOWNS SERVED BY PSAP           A total of 98 (91%) PSAPs responded to this survey
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________ 

Data Collection 

1.  How many EMS Providers do you serve at the three major levels, and what service do you provide?  (NOTE: If you directly dispatch a unit to the scene, put the number of each level of service for which you perform that function.  If you transfer the call to another dispatch for that level of service, put the number for which you perform that function.) 

The table below shows the number of PSAPs (not providers) that either dispatch all providers, transfer all calls to providers or another dispatch center, or dispatch some and transfer some calls for each of the three levels of service. 

2.  For those EMS providers you serve, we’d like to know what information you have.  If your PSAP just records the times for the providers on tape, just put a check on the table below under Record.  If, on the other hand, your PSAP can use the recorded information to compile and report on the elapsed times for the specific responder for EMS calls, put a check below Report.  If your PSAP can check only on a specific call and print out the times for that one call, consider that a record only. 

 3.  About how many 9-1-1 EMS calls do you get a month? Mean = 488  (90% less than 700)

                                                                   Min. = 9 Max. = 16,000
                                                      N=80 

4.  Does your PSAP utilize computer-aided dispatch (CAD)?   62 (64%) Yes     35 (36%) No                                                                                                                 N=97 

4a.  Does your PSAP’s system have the capability to compile information on the number of EMS calls and calculate times by response categories (for example -- % of calls responded to in less than five minutes; % of calls responded to in less than 10 minutes)?                                                                                              52 (55%) Yes     42 (45%) No
 N=94 

4b.  If you answered No to Question 4a, does your PSAP’s system have the capability to compile and report on average times (for example, X town’s first responder went to 50 calls in one month and the average time from time of dispatch to time on scene was 5 minutes).   

Of the 42 that answered “No” to Question 4a:

3 (7%)  Yes     39 (93%)  No
N=42

5.  If you answered Yes to Question 4a or 4b, for what period of time could you best compile the information?
40 (74%) Monthly
  6 (11%) Quarterly
  8 (15%) Annually
N=54

(Note: Some PSAPs indicated they could produce a report for all three time periods.  They were grouped in the monthly time period.) 

6. Does your PSAP compile this information now?

Of the 55 that answered "Yes" to either 4a or 4b:
26 (47%) Yes     29(53%)  No

N=55 

6a.  If you answered Yes to Question 6, please enclose a sample copy of the most recent report. 

7.  Does your PSAP have the capability to report the number of (check if yes):
      52       your 9-1-1 calls that are EMS
      27       passed EMS calls
      34       mutual aid EMS calls 

7a.  Does your PSAP have the capability to report EMS call and time information (check if yes):
      44      by individual town
      37     by individual EMS provider 

8.    If your PSAP compiles reports now on EMS  call and time information, do you  provide the reports to (check all those options that apply)
       18         Yes, routinely to service providers
         7         Yes, routinely to first selectman or CEO of towns
       32         Yes, but we provide a report only if requested
       32         No, we don’t provide any reports 

9.    If your PSAP does not have an automated system to compile and report EMS calls and time information, could you track and report the information in any other way?
    41  (80%)  Yes (briefly explain how you could do it)   Most respondents to this question indicated that tracking the information would require some type of manual task usually going through logs to get the times.  

    10 (20%) No (please explain the obstacles, if you think it cannot be done) Similar to the above comments, these respondents also indicated that it would require some type of manual task to get the times.

N=51 

10.  What do you suggest as the best method to ensure that all PSAPS, other dispatchers, and service providers are using a uniform time?
 Most respondents indicated that the best approach would be to centralize the times at the PSAPs and for all the PSAPs to use a common source such as the “Net Clock” or “SNET Time”.     

Emergency Medical Dispatch 

11.  Does your dispatch center utilize Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) with priority dispatch and pre-arrival instructions?
    22 (23%) Yes, priority dispatch and pre-arrival instructions
      5  ( 5%) Yes, priority dispatch only
      7 ( 7%)  Yes, pre-arrival instructions only
    61 (64%) No, Please go to Question 18

N=95 

12.   If yes, what EMD program do you use?
    9 (26%) Medical Priority Dispatch
    1   (3%) APCO
  19 (56%) Power Phone
    2   (6%) Developed Own Program
    3   (9%) Other (specify) ( 1 = Medical Priority Dispatch and Power Phone, 1= Power Phone and Developed Own Program, and 1 = Other)

N=34 

13.  Have all EMD dispatchers completed an EMD training program (other than initial Office of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications training)?
   20 (59%) Yes
  14  (41%)No

N=34 

14.  Do you provide EMD for all EMS calls 24 hours/day, 365 days per year?
  29 (85%) Yes
    5 (15%) No (Please indicate how often you provide)  N/A

N=34 

15.      What mechanisms for quality assurance for your EMD program have you implemented?
      6   physician oversight
      5   established performance criteria for EMD program
    11   check a percentage of calls routinely for conformity with EMD protocols
    10   review all incidents that fall outside the range of acceptable variation
      5   established process for correcting deviations from established criteria
      3   other (specify)__________________________________________ 

16.  What were the additional costs for implementing EMD? (Enter zero if implemented within existing resources). 

The total dollars ranged from $0 to $50,000.  Five PSAPs said they implemented within existing resources and 13 of the 17 (76%) who responded indicated an amount under $7,800.  Most of the costs were for training and one PSAP indicated it added an extra person.

N=17 

17.   Has your average call processing time increased overall with the implementation of EMD as compared to before use of EMD?
    6 (19%) Yes (estimate increased time) Estimates ranged from 1 to 2 minutes, with
                                                                     an average response of 1.5 minutes 
  10 (32%) No
  15 (48%)Don’t know

N=31 

18.   Does your dispatch center transfer EMS calls to providers who utilize EMD?
23 (26%) Yes
64 (74%) No        

       N=87  

18a.  If yes, how many providers render this service and how many towns do they cover?
        81% of the providers said one provider is furnishing EMD
        90% said that 1 town was covered

N=21 

19.   If you do not utilize EMD, do you consider it a necessary part of EMS dispatching?
Of the 61 PSAPs that answered “No” in question 11:
    27 (60%) Yes
    18 (40%) No

N= 45 (16 did not respond) 

20.  What are the barriers to EMD implementation at your PSAP? 
Most PSAPs indicated that costs usually related to staffing and for training were the primary barriers to EMD implementation.

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