The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and Masimo will honor the Philadelphia Fire Department with the 2024 Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award for their innovations in emergency medical services. The award presentation will occur at the 34th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner on April 29th in Washington, DC.

The Philadelphia Fire Department was selected for its Alternative EMS Response Units (AR) that provide ALS capabilities in non-ambulance vehicles for four types of emergency medical care. Three units are SUVS staffed with paramedics and specialized care providers. One unit serving the University of Pennsylvania delivers emergency medical care and courtesy rides to students with low-acuity complaints. The fire department assigned a second unit to an area of the city with an extremely high rate of substance use disorder incidents, while a third unit responds to behavioral health emergencies. A fourth unit, a utility cart equipped with ALS equipment and a paramedic, provides rapid response to medical calls at Philadelphia International Airport. Since being placed in service, these units have taken tremendous pressure off the EMS system, enabling traditional medic units to respond to other calls. Based on the success of these units, the fire department intends to place more of them in service.

“With fire departments across the nation developing innovative programs to enhance their EMS capabilities, CFSI is proud to co-sponsor the Excellence in Fire Service-Based with Masimo to recognize fire departments for their innovations,” said Jim Estepp, CFSI President. “I extend my congratulations to the Philadelphia Fire Department for developing an innovative EMS program that is enhancing the level of emergency medical care for the citizens of Philadelphia.”

“Masimo is proud to co-sponsor the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award,” said Andy Jones, Senior Vice President of US Alternate Care. “At Masimo, we focus on the spirit of innovation just as fire departments strive to innovate in their delivery of emergency medical care. By offering industry-leading monitoring solutions, we are helping fire departments improve patient care outcomes at the emergency scene, resulting in more lives being saved. Congratulations to the Philadelphia Fire Department for being honored with this award.”

For additional information about the 2024 National Fire and Emergency Services Symposium and Dinner, please visit the CFSI website. This event benefits the mission of the Congressional Fire Services Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy organization designed to educate members of Congress about fire and life safety issues.