DieselBolus
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While 911 and IFT crews both have the same pieces of paper in their pockets and have lights on the roof, for the sake of your question, think of them as separate industries. I may be wrong, but I recall reading that research in Phillly indicated that GSW victims do similarly well in police cars as they do ambulances. That doesn't mean ambulance dispatchers necessarily see PD on their screenI'll revise my idea slightly based on what I have.
I'm vaguely familiar with Santa Clara County. I think a similar concept applies in most of the bay area, though I'm not certain.
Does 911 dispatch know the locations of the IFT units the way they do via computer screen for 911 units? Or do they have to call the company and ask where the units are?
Here's the scenario that pops into my head: I go into cardiac arrest. My chances of survival fall 10% for every minute I'm in arrest. Just by chance, an IFT unit is on break at the Starbucks next door to my house. The fire department (five minutes away) is dispatched. The 911 contracted ambulance company sends the nearest unit from 10 minutes away. Would the 911 dispatcher see "hey, there's an ALS unit less than 5000 feet from the arrest victim" and dispatch it? Or would that information only become available if the 911 dispatcher asks the IFT compnay? This is a case of four minutes potential savings...
To my understanding, companies that run 911 ALS and CCT/ALS/BLS IFT will often have separate medical direction for each service, even if said service is in the same city.
This isn't to say that IFT agencies dont run 911 backup, but that's almost exclusively in extenuating circumstances.
Is it ideal? Many would say no, but there's no research. Common sense and reality often differ.
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