FY2018 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2018 | Page 17

78.28% Medical Operations (Med Ops) is led by a Deputy Chief, with support from a Health & Safety Captain, EMS Lieutenant, and three EMS Coordinators. Med Ops is of all AFD Calls for Service responsible for the readiness of EMS delivery in the City and coordinates with the City’s Medical Director and the are Medical Related Emergency Physicians Advisory Board (EPAB) to provide quality Continuing Education and EMS training for the Department. Other important functions include: administering the City’s ambulance contract, conducting post-injury and accident investigations, managing more than 485 public access automatic external defibrillators (AEDs), auditing emergency medical treatments provided by AFD personnel, and serving as the point of contact for personnel who experience work-related infectious disease exposures, injuries, and illness. Injuries and Casualties FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 222 Cardiac Arrest Lives Saved 52.3% by Bystander CPR (Since 2011) Firefighter Deaths - - - - - Firefighter Injuries 57 45 54 49 44 Civilian Deaths in Fires 2 4 1 2 4 Civilian Injuries in Fires 34 40 22 35 25 Community Paramedic Program Honored On September 27, 2018, Liz Herring celebrated 25 years of dedicated service with AFD as EMS Administrative Coordinator. Her primary responsibility is ensuring the City’s ambulance contractor’s performance meets contractual obligations. Outside this duty, which involves detailed auditing of thousands of monthly ambulance responses, Liz has served as technical writer for the medical protocols utilized in the Arlington EMS System. She was instrumental in writing the new ambulance contract following the untimely death of our long-time EMS consultant just prior to the RFP process. Additionally, she has served on numerous EMS committees at both the local and state level to ensure Arlington’s interests were served on critical EMS related issues. Liz’s expertise and dedication have served as the glue in the Arlington EMS-system, ensuring our visitors and citizens are well-served by our ambulance contractor and our fire department first responders. Thank you, Liz, for your 25 years of dedicated service! AFD and Fire Chief Don Crowson were honored with a Route Fifty 2018 Navigator Award for the Community Paramedic Program. Route Fifty is a digital publication dedicated to covering innovation in best practices in state and local government. The Navigator Awards, which are divided into five categories, honor innovative individuals and teams who have taken a great idea and successfully implemented it to improve public sector services and the communities they serve. The Arlington Fire Department was among 10 recipients from across the country to receive a Navigator Award. Arlington’s Community Paramedic Program, a collaboration with Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, aims to help cardiac and stroke patients recuperate successfully in their homes and avoid a return trip to the hospital. 16