Two Fire Departments to be Honored for Excellence in Emergency Medical Services
Fire Service-Based EMS Award Presentation at the 29th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 21, 2017) – The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) and Masimo will honor two fire departments for best practices and innovative solutions in the delivery of emergency medical services with the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award. The award presentation will take place on April 6th at the 29th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner in Washington, DC. The honorees are the Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue Service and the Orange County (FL) Fire Rescue Department.

First presented in 2011, the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award has recognized fire departments from across the nation for developing and enhancing the delivery of emergency medical services to address the growing challenges in delivering emergency medical care. By showcasing these practices, the award program provides fire departments across the nation ideas for enhancing their own fire service-based EMS systems.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) is being recognized for the establishment of the Montgomery County Non-Emergency Intervention and Community Care Coordination (MCNIC3) initiative, a program that targets frequent utilizers of the 9-1-1 system and connects those patients to existing medical/social programs within their communities better able to meet their health care needs. Leveraging existing public and private health and social resources, MCNI3 enables fire department personnel to connect patients to programs most appropriate to treat their conditions, while maintaining access to the patients’ progress. As a result, call volumes for EMS services among the highest users of EMS services have reduced significantly.

The Orange County (FL) Fire Rescue Department is being recognized for the implementation of two new programs: the Sepsis Alert Program and the Paramedic Preceptor Academy. Working closely with the Orange County Office of the Medical Director, the fire department launched the Sepsis Alert Program to identify and initiate pre-hospital treatment for severe sepsis patients. As a result, there were significant decreases in time to definitive care at the emergency department, reduction in ICU admits and reduced length of patient hospital stays. The Paramedic Preceptor Academy was developed to increase pass rates for the department’s new paramedics as well as improve training and continuing education opportunities identified through the Quality Assurance process. The Sepsis Alert Program in combination the Preceptor Academy have increased Orange County Fire Rescue’s pre-hospital knowledge base, giving its patients the best chance for survival. Both programs have produced positive results and have served as models for similar programs adopted by other fire departments within the state.

“CFSI takes great pride in co-sponsoring the Excellence in Fire Service-Based EMS Award with Masimo,” said CFSI President Bill Jenaway. “Through this award program, we can recognize important innovations in fire service-based emergency medical care – such as those implemented by our 2017 award recipients – and share those innovations with other fire departments seeking to enhance their own EMS systems.”

Please click here to learn more about the 2017 National Fire and Emergency Services Symposium and Dinner Program.  Tickets are still available for this program which benefits the mission of CFSI.

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