Executive Summary. City of Kawartha Lakes EMS Master Plan-Executive Summary February 2011

Transcription

1 Executive Summary The City f Kawartha Lakes (the City) Emergency Medical Services (EMS) serves an area f apprximately 3,060 square kilmeters with a ppulatin f apprximately 74,561 persns. Over the next twenty (20) years, thrugh t the year 2031, the ppulatin will increase t apprximately 100,000 persns. This permanent ppulatin increases during the summer mnths by 30,000 visitrs vacatining in the City at camp grunds, trailer parks, cttages and resrts. Over the next twenty (20) years a significant prprtin f the grwth f apprximately 25,000 persns will be senirs retiring t the City f Kawartha Lakes t cttages cnstructed new r cnverted frm three seasn t fur seasn residences. This Master Plan will serve as a twenty (20) year strategic planning framewrk fr plicy and peratin decisins relating t the EMS Divisin. The plan includes a review f present day service capabilities, present and future challenges, service pririties and recmmendatins. The Master Plan is a dynamic dcument that shuld be reviewed annually and underg a cmplete update every five (5) years fllwing review f the Official Plan and ppulatin and emplyment updates as part f the five year review f Places t Grw Legislatin. The City f Kawartha Lakes has experienced mdest grwth in recent years. Grwth predictins fund in the City f Kawartha Lakes Grwth Management Strategy indicate that mdest grwth will cntinue ver the next twenty (20) years. Hwever, there are a number f emerging challenges that will increase the demand fr paramedic services and impact upn EMS respnse times. The majr challenges facing the EMS Divisin are: 1. Managing increased call vlume assciated with residential and industrial grwth; 2. Maintaining and imprving EMS respnse times, given changing Prvincial standards; 3. Managing the challenges in call vlume trends and required needs given an ageing ppulatin and changes t the health care system; 4. Managing educatinal requirements f paramedics related t changing demgraphics, patient acuity, patient needs; and 5. Evlving the Divisin t ne that is prepared t meet the challenges f the next twenty (20) years thrugh advanced technlgy, new industry perfrmance measures, and best practices. It is reasnable t anticipate an annual increase in call vlume f between 1% and 2% ver the next twenty (20) years. EMS will require additinal resurces t meet the demand and t maintain the current level f service. The primary ptins discussed in the EMS Master Plan cmpare the traditinal methd f increasing the number f ambulances staffed with tw (2) paramedics, versus the alternative f supprting fewer additinal ambulances with emergency respnse units staffed with ne (1) paramedic. Given the grwth within the City, anticipated increase in demand and csts assciated with additinal resurces fr bth staffing and vehicles/equipment, the recmmended apprach includes a cmbinatin f traditinal UEM Exceptinal Service Page 1

2 ambulances and dedicated emergency respnse units. As the size f the Divisin increases at the paramedic and statin level, s t will the demands increase n the supervisry and administrative staff. There are certain service gaps that have been identified thrugh the review f current services. T address the service gap areas, recmmendatins include an nging requirement t mnitr and re-evaluate apprpriate ambulance respnse statin requirements, as per the minimum standards addressed within the EMS Master Plan. The cncept f emergency respnse unit lcatins, dynamic deplyment respnse plans and implementatin f emergency respnse units, are recmmended in this Master Plan. EMS cre services include the prvisin f rapid quality pre-hspital care t medical emergencies in a prtin f the City and public educatin related t cardipulmnary resuscitatin, public access defibrillatin, and injury preventin. EMS services are delivered by primary and advanced care paramedics. Emphasis shuld be placed n ensuring a rati f 2:1 advanced care paramedics t primary care paramedics t ensure ptimum care fr critical patients thrugh a prgram f bypassing Rss Memrial Hspital fr strke and heart attack patients. There are als several technlgical requirements that are needed t assist in reducing respnse times and t imprve the divisin s ability t mnitr the surveillance aspects f quality assurance while maintaining a high quality as well as cst effective service. Autmatic vehicle lcating/glbal psitining system (AVL/GPS) is already implemented and cntributes t mnitring resurce deplyment via the Central Ambulance Cmmunicatin Centre as well as prviding detailed vehicle infrmatin fr mnitring maintenance/repair requirements. The City shuld cntinue t investigate the implementatin f traffic signal pre-emptin, in-vehicle mapping systems, electrnic ambulance call reprts and an infrmatin management system. The EMS Master Plan develped alternatives fr statin lcatins, deplyment strategies and capital frecasts that included staffing requirements, implicatin f recmmendatins n peratinal csts and equipment needs. The fllwing are the recmmendatins f the EMS Master Plan. Recmmendatin #1 That the Respnse Time Perfrmance Plan included in Appendix IV f the EMS Master Plan be apprved by Cuncil and be submitted t the Ministry f Health and Lng Term Care by the end f Octber Recmmendatin #2 That a staging plicy similar t the City f Trnt staging plicy, be apprved by Cuncil. The staging plicy fr Trnt EMS is that an EMS supervisr must respnd r immediately investigate: All allied service standbys (fire and plice); Scenes where paramedics feel unsafe r need t frce enter a structure t service a request fr help; and Abnrmally lng delays reaching patients. UEM Exceptinal Service Page 2

3 Staffing Recmmendatin #3 That the EMS bypass Rss Memrial Hspital with ST segment elevatin patients t receive treatment at Suth Lake Hspital in Newmarket. Recmmendatin #4 That the City f Kawartha Lakes enter int an agreement with Peterbrugh Reginal Health Centre t frmalize the strke bypass prtcl. Recmmendatin #5 That the City investigate and implement a technlgy system fr paperless ambulance call reprts. Sftware shuld be installed n laptp cmputers in all ambulances and emergency respnse units, which will allw paramedics and supervisry staff t input the ambulance call reprt and any additinal required dcumentatin directly int the system. Recmmendatin #6 That the City amend the develpment charges by-law t reflect recmmendatins f the EMS Master Plan. Recmmendatin #7 That the staffing levels recmmended in the Memrandum f Understanding with Peterbrugh Reginal Health Center Strke Bypass (Reprt ES ) are adequate t meet the current needs f the City. Recmmendatin #8 That the need fr additinal staffing be reviewed annually factring call vlume demand, respnse times and ppulatin grwth. Recmmendatin #9 That a 0.5 full time equivalent administrative assistant be hired in the year 2011 and that anther 0.5 full time equivalent executive assistant be hired in the next 5 t 10 years. Recmmendatin #10 In additin t staff already apprved by Cuncil an additinal eight (8) full time equivalent paramedics be hired within the next 10 years and an additinal sixteen (16) full time equivalent be hired by 2031 (in additin t Recmmendatin #7) which prvides fr the staffing f tw (2) ambulances and tw (2) emergency respnse units. Recmmendatin #11 That the current stres respnsibilities f the Operatins Supervisr be assigned t a new psitin f Supplies and Fleet Technician r in the alternative t the prpsed Facilities and Stres Manager recmmended in the Fire Master Plan. Recmmendatin #12 That the current fleet respnsibilities f the Operatins Supervisr be assigned t the new psitin f Supplies and Fleet Technician r in the alternative t the prpsed Manager f Vehicles and Equipment recmmended in the Fire Master Plan. Recmmendatin #13 That a supervisr be hired t assume respnsibilities fr lgistics, cmmunity service and cmmunicatins in Recmmendatin #14 That a furth and fifth supervisr be hired in 2011 and 2016 t maintain the paramedic t supervisr rati and t prvide 24 hur supervisin. One f UEM Exceptinal Service Page 3

4 Fleet the supervisrs shuld assume the rle f Cmmander and perfrm the EMS manager duties presently dne by a supervisr. Recmmendatin #15 That in the future the City f Kawartha Lakes EMS hire advanced care paramedics and primary care paramedics at a rati f 2:1 (1 advanced care paramedic fr each vehicle every shift and cverage fr vacatin and sick time ff) t facilitate efficiencies in service. Recmmendatin #16 That the fleet levels recmmended in the Memrandum f Understanding with Peterbrugh Reginal Health Center Strke Bypass (Reprt ES ) are adequate t meet the current needs f the City. Recmmendatin #17 That dedicated emergency respnse units wuld imprve respnse times and defer the cst f intrducing fully cnventinal ambulance units in rder t reduce service gaps, imprve cverage capability and meet new Prvincially mandated standards. Recmmendatin #18 That ver the next twenty (20) years the City increase the EMS ambulance fleet by tw (2), administrative vehicles by ne (1), emergency respnse units by tw (2) and peratins supprt (lgistics) vehicle by ne (1) r recmmendatin #19. Recmmendatin #19 That a cmbinatin f ambulance and emergency respnse units address future fleet needs recgnizing that the ptential exists t replace ne (1) f the prpsed ambulance vehicles with tw (2) emergency respnse vehicles. Recmmendatin #20 That the number f backup ambulances be increased frm five (5) t six (6) in the 5 t 10 year perid. Facilities Recmmendatin #21 That staff investigate within the next five (5) year perid, the imprvement f facilities and the ptential t cnstruct ambulance strage statin facilities with fire statins. Strage statins wuld be designated as emergency respnse unit lcatins in rder t address gaps in service during perids f high call demand. Recmmendatin #22 That the Feneln Falls EMS statin be relcated t the nrthwest f Feneln Falls t minimize verlap f service and expand the service area t the nrth. Recmmendatin #23 That the Bbcaygen EMS statin be relcated suthwest f Bbcaygen t minimize verlap f service and expand the service area. Recmmendatin #24 That the Lindsay EMS statin be relcated t the west side f Lindsay nt Highway 35 t minimize verlap f service and expand the service area t the west. Recmmendatin #25 That cnsideratin be given t lcating EMS service n Highway 35 mid-way between Lindsay and Highway 115. UEM Exceptinal Service Page 4

5 Recmmendatin #26 That cnsideratin be given t lcating EMS service in Oakwd t prvide service sutherly t Little Britain and nrtherly twards Wdville. Recmmendatin #27 That the west Lindsay EMS statin be designed t include adequate facilities t huse required vehicles, supervisrs, and stres. Cnsideratin shuld be given t lcating EMS administrative services int a new Fire/EMS administrative facility in cnfrmance with the recmmendatin in the Fire Master Plan. The financial impact f prviding EMS t meet the needs f ppulatin grwth t the year 2031 was assessed in five (5) year increments. The financial plan utlining the csts assciated with implementing the recmmendatins f the EMS Master plan is included as Figure 1. The financial implicatins assciated with this plan shuld be re-evaluated n an annual basis and linked t the respective budget cycles. Implementing the recmmendatins within the EMS Master Plan will allw the Municipality t cntinue t respnd t the needs f City f Kawartha Lakes residents and will serve as a management plan fr the next twenty (20) years. The EMS Divisin faces significant challenges in the years ahead. The recmmendatins cntained within this plan address the issues in an efficient and cst effective manner that will prvide the Divisin with the resurces t address public safety cnsideratins. UEM Exceptinal Service Page 5