Memorandum #80 - PHMC Paramedic Program & Guidance
Posted: 27 Jan 2022, 05:58
MEMORANDUM #80
Dear employees,
The Los Santos Fire Department Chief Officers and the Pillbox Hill Medical Center Directors have been working recently on creating a new program to operate Paramedic ambulances to offset shortcomings in the Los Santos County EMS system by increasing the number of prehospital Advanced Life Support (ALS) providers available to the 911 system, as well as to increase the use and availability of ALS providers in the hospital system.
With that in mind, the program is now fully launched and PHMC Paramedic ambulances are able to be dispatched by Fire Metro per request & availability. Attached below is the Mutual Agreement between LSFD & PHMC which outlines the program's scope, responsibilities and conditions for both departments.
The memo can also be found HERE.
Pillbox Hill Paramedic Program Callsigns:
- Medic 101 - Paramedic Ambulance
- Medic 102 - Paramedic Ambulance
- MS-1 - PHMC Director
- MS-4 - PHMC Paramedic Program Director
- Dispatching PHMC Medic units is at Metro's discretion, there is no underlying requirement of LSFD unit availability before PHMC Medic units are dispatched. Dispatching PHMC units take place over the dispatch frequency, using the same radio protocol as LSFD does on a normal basis.
The additional resources available to use during the day and night are a bonus to the LSFD. This allows multiple things, additional ambulances to send to calls when we are being inundated with emergency calls and it allows us the opportunity to staff more engines, trucks, USAR and so forth, allowing you to be firefighters. This is beneficial on both sides, gives you more opportunity and gives PHMC a better chance to interact with us in the field.
Fire Metro: Fire Metro will always look to prioritize LSFD resources for calls as and when possible before requesting PHMC. This however does not mean PHMC cannot be used to help handle some calls to ease the pressure on a unit going call to call. It is also important that all staff remember to form up a unit as soon as you can when you come on duty, failing to form a unit will not show you on the CAD and therefor Metro may overlook you when it comes to dispatching resources.
Authority: The LSFD always retains incident command of scenes and instructions from the IC must be followed. PHMC resources fall under this instruction, as paramedics they are still in-charge of patient care much like any of our own paramedics on a scene. The Paramedic-In-Charge (Paramedic responsible for patients’ direct care) makes the decisions on what care they give due to clinical responsibility. This also applies to LSFD paramedics who are responsible for a patient unless ALS interventions/care has been given and a BLS unit cannot care for the patient.
PHMC Contracts: Pillbox Hill Medical Centre have an existing contract with the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department to provide medically trained staff to their Infirmary, additionally PHMC can also operate inter-facility transfers between TTCF and PHMC without prior approval from Fire Metro. PHMC personnel planning to provide these transfers must make their intentions known with Fire Metro before doing so and report Status 10.
Due to the existing contract with TTCF, PHMC can provide medical coverage for work details that take place off the TTCF grounds if requested by the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department. PHMC personnel must make their intentions known to Fire Metro and report Status 10 for the duration of the detail.
The introduction of PHMCs ambulances came in very quickly which is why there has been a delay in getting this memorandum out to you all, but here are some of the defining factors: -
- PHMC will hire not more than 8 licensed paramedics
- PHMC will staff a maximum of two ambulances with paramedics as minimal clinical grade
- PHMC will have a maximum of two supervisory vehicles, these vehicles will be utilized by the PHMC Director and the Paramedic program Director, these two individuals are doctors. These vehicles will NOT be used as fast response/fly cars to respond to incidents to provide medical care, they are there to supervise PHMC resources in the field as and when required. If advanced care is required a Company Officer+ may request the presence of a doctor if required.
- PHMC Paramedics will be permitted access to the Fire Metro radio frequency only (991) to speed up comms, no other PHMC employees will be granted access to this channel, and this will be enforced by the PHMC Faction Lead. (Under trial run)
- PHMC units will not be permitted to leave the hospital in an ambulances unless they are actively dispatched by Fire Metro or when the LSFD has zero members on-duty at the time, even at that point PHMC staff must attempt to page for LSFD resources before responding and can self-dispatch if no response is received within 2 minutes to avoid further delay.
- PHMC ambulances will NOT be staffed unless the hospital itself is staffed, as agreed with PHMC leadership.
- PHMC units will not offer for incoming calls unless Fire Metro has directly asked for any available resources to make themselves known. ))
| DEPARTMENT DEVELOPMENT TEAM Director, Gerald Berwick |
| OFFICE OF THE CHIEF Fire Chief, Gary Young |