Emergency or Non-Emergency?

[tfd603]

What constitutes an emergency?? What are some alarms your department considers emergency and goes all out to get there?? And what are some alarms your department considers no emergency and takes its time responding?? Some of these are givens but some arent.

[BayRidge60]

Emergency Response:
1. Any fire endangering life and/or property
2. MVA's with injuries/entrapment
3. F.A.S.T. assignment
4. Hazardous conditions - lines down, water emergencies, CO conditions, etc.
5. Fire alarm activations
6. Priority 1 EMS calls

Non-emergency Response:
1. Cover assignments
2. Service calls
3. Any time a chief officer orders a downgrade to Priority 3


Priority Responses:
Priority 1 - An emergency situation that IS NOT UNDER CONTROL.
Priority 2 - An emergency situation that IS COMING UNDER CONTROL.
Priority 3 - An emergency situation that is CURRENTLY UNDER CONTROL, or a non-emergency situation.

------------------
Glenn Ralston
Firefighter/EMT-D
Bay Ridge Fire-Rescue
[email protected]

[FD111]

Basically put,
Non-emergency - Anything that only requires a single engine company response, unless life or real property are endangered.
Emergency - Box assignments, Medical responses, Rescue calls, and MVA's.



[This message has been edited by FD111 (edited 01-08-2001).]

[Engine 101]

Our dispatch has a priority system 1-9, From severe and need to get there now to not emergent but does require somebody to come out and take care of it
Emergent is a fire
Somewhat Emergent Fire Alarm Activation
Non Emergent, Keys left in a running auto, Or a Lock Out

[SRVFD2]

FEMA's emergency vehicle driver training course definies a true emergency like this:

"a situation in which there is a High Probability of Death or Serious Injury to an Individual, or Significant Property Loss, and Action by an Emergency Vehicle Operator may reduce the seriousness of the situation."

Under any circumstances, exercise "due regard"

[NFDLT55]

Emergency:

1. Life/property threatening calls
2. Fire alarms
3. MVA
4. Investiagtions

Non-Emergency

1. Mutual Aid
2. CO detectors w/o symptoms (if symptoms emergency response.)
3. Stand-by
4. Service calls
5. Any call which C/O deams to be a non-emergency call.

we have 2 priority levels

1. Priority 1- Lights + Sirens, possible life/property threatening situation exsists
2. Priority 2- Normal driving (if you will)a non-life threatening or non-poperty threatening situation exsists and some how confirmed.

[Resq14]

I strongly agree with having only 2 modes of response: emergency with lights and sirens, and nonemergency where you drive with the flow of traffic.

[WRENCH]

hazardous conditions should be downgraded to non emergency. If there is a wire down most likly PD will be on scene ahead of you and there is nothing you are going to or should be doing until the utility gets there period.
And no water condition probaly 99% of the times is a crisis. If you get there in 2 mins.flat or 5 mins will not make that much difference to risk lives on a code three response. Co resonses should be based on the way the dispatch and info are given.
Priority EMS calls should be higher on the list.
Alarm activations can be downgraded to code 3 for the first due unit only. and for frequent fliers that can be subject to change base on local conditions and info recieved on dispatch.

[the24fireman]

I hope this thread doesn't get locked for being too old, but I'm posting on it any way.

Emergency responses:
All alarms
Working Fires
Accidents
Charlie, Delta, Echo Medicals
and then there is always the officer discretion calls.

Non-emergency:
Co detectors (as long as occupants are out and have no medical complaints)
Downed power lines
alpha, Bravo medicals
Public Assists
Stand By's
Anhydrous (*Spelling) tanks leaking
Fuel spills
Children locked in cars (as long as its not summer)
etc...

[PineyPower]

To put it in a very, very broad category, I would say an emergency for our fire company would be anything involving an IDLH atmosphere. This could mean a fire, an extreme HazMat call, May-Day, and so on.

I do know that anything involving like 'smells and bells' or a mistaken fire alarm (usually hit off by a construction crew) or even an MVA with no extrication, no injuries, no fatalities, and no vehicle stabilization needed would constitute a non-emergency for our company.

[dave29]

Everything is emergency unless chief or officer says so

[ehs7554]

hazardous conditions should be downgraded to non emergency. If there is a wire down most likly PD will be on scene ahead of you and there is nothing you are going to or should be doing until the utility gets there period.
And no water condition probaly 99% of the times is a crisis. If you get there in 2 mins.flat or 5 mins will not make that much difference to risk lives on a code three response. Co resonses should be based on the way the dispatch and info are given.
Priority EMS calls should be higher on the list.
Alarm activations can be downgraded to code 3 for the first due unit only. and for frequent fliers that can be subject to change base on local conditions and info recieved on dispatch.

Maybe your local PD may be on scene, but ours are too busy to be dealing with these types of calls (ie line down).Additionally, there is a lot a FD can do....mainly protect the scene and anyone who might accidently comee in contact. You say hazardous conditions should be downgraded to non emergency???????WHAT??? Is a fire not a hazardous condition??You can not assume that a frequent flyer call, whether medical or fire alarm is not an emergency. As frustrating as they are, you never know when it's going to be the real deal.

[ehs7554]

Fire apparatus run all calls emergency except for Public Assists (and that is dependant on the situation), CO checks, and other service calls. Ambulances run all calls emergency except for pt. transfers.
Hell, we run hot for a headache........but we have some of if not the best response times of any fire department or ambulance service in our metropolitan area.

[TexasBaptist]

An emergency: sudden state of danger, requiring immediate action

We have three priorities:

Priority 1 = Life Threatening Emergency
Priority 2 = Urgent "Emergency"
Priority 3 = Non Life-Threathening Emergency

Priority 1 and 2 are Lights & Siren Responses. Priority 3 is a normal response following all traffic laws.

Priority 1 calls include:
Chest Pains / Heart Problems
Breathing Difficulty
Unconscious Person
Full Arrest
Choking
Major Accident w/ People trapped
Auto-Ped
Burns w/ complications (breathing difficulty, chest pain, unresponsive, etc)
Industrial Accident
Electrocutions
Diabetic Emergency
Gun Shot Wounds
Cuttings / Stabbings

Priority 2 calls include:

Major Accident w/ Confirmed Injuries
Medical Emergency
Unknown Medical Emergency
Fall Victim
Injured Person
Burn Victim
Aggravated Assault
Medical Alarm
Structure Fire 2nd Alarm OR by IC request

Priority 3 calls include:

Major Accident UNK Injuries
Fall Victim
Medical Alarm
Assist PD

Our Fire Dept. runs code to all calls.

[JHR1985]

I have to say this is one of the oldest threads to be resurrected that I have seen... 7 years... damn