HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-11-16 PACKET 05.A.REQUEST OF CITY COUNCIL ACTION COUNCIL AGENDA
MEETING ITEM #
DATE 11/16/11
PREPARED BY: Public Safety Craig A. Woolery
ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT STAFF AUTHOR
COUNCIL ACTION REQUEST
Response to previously raised concern at Open Forum by Beverly Moreland regarding
ambulance responses
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
LETTER: letter dated 11 -9 -11 from Director of Public Safety Craig Woolery
ADMINISTRATORS COMMENTS
Administrator
Date
COUNCIL ACTION TAKEN: ❑ APPROVED ❑ DENIED ❑ OTHER
City of
Cotta Grove
Minnesota
Department of Public Safety
Police Division
7516 80th Street South / Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016 -3197
www.cottage- grove.org
November 9, 2011
Ms. Beverly Moreland
8679 Greystone Ave. So.
Cottage Grove M N 55016
Dear Mrs. Moreland,
651 - 458 -2850 Fax 651- 458 -2820
TDD 651- 458 -2880
Please allow me to respond to the concerns�ou brought forward during the Open
Forum at the October 19 and November 2 regular city council meetings. On both
occasions you suggested that the ambulance was "lost" and thus delaying the
emergency response. At the November 2 meeting you commented that on a certain
ambulance call, paramedics were unable to treat a malfunctioning pacemaker through
the use of a donut shaped magnet in addition to delayed response times and whether
GPS mapping was being used in the ambulances.
As I had mentioned to you at the November 2, 2011 council meeting, that having a
specific date and time of the incident would allow for a detailed response to your
concerns. However, I do know that two of the incidents you mentioned happened many
years ago. I happened to have spoken recently with the wife of a patient who was in
cardiac arrest and the ambulance was reportedly lost in finding the address. The
incident occurred over 7 years ago, too far back to be able to retrieve any information to
address concerns. I also recall the incident you mentioned regarding the patient with a
malfunctioning pacemaker and the paramedics did not use the magnet. That incident
occurred maybe 6 years ago ( ?) and the attending paramedic was unable to locate the
newly placed magnets on the ambulance. It is also very difficult to discuss specific
patient medical care information due to HIPAA privacy laws without specific patient
consent. As I had also mentioned to you on November 2 we have a quality assurance
process with our Medical Directors that address any concerns with response and /or
patient care. Our service conducts regular internal audits to ensure we are providing the
highest quality pre - hospital emergency medical care to our patients.
Cottage Grove's Public Safety model with Police Officers and Firefighters cross trained
as Paramedics responding to medical emergencies in quick response vehicles, provide
our customers with some of the fastest response times in the metropolitan area. Even
with approximately 15% of the responses that are routine and non - emergency, the
average police paramedic (with equipment) arrives on scene in less than 5 minutes. The
ambulance which is brought by paid on -call firefighter /EMT's on average is on scene in
approximately 8.69 minutes. In Hennepin County, for example, North Memorial's
standard is 10 minutes 59 seconds for an ambulance to arrive on scene. As you know,
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
time saves lives and residents in the Cottage Grove ambulance service area receive
some of the fastest response times in the metro area.
In response to the concerns of ambulances being "lost ", it is almost impossible to
address that comment years after the incident occurred unless a specific date and time
were available and the records are still retained. I would like to assure you that our first
responders are very knowledgeable of their service areas. Police officers and
responding firefighters are in constant communication with each other to assist in their
response. Beginning in March of 2012, Washington County will be deploying a state of
the art Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System (RMS)
throughout the county. The CAD system will include integrated mapping systems, pre -
loaded emergency response data and smart phone technology will assist both
dispatchers and first responders in responding to calls for assistance and will also have
a positive effect on response times.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to express your concerns, please feel free to
contact me at 651- 458 -2850 should you have any further questions.
Respectfully,
f 7
Crai (YA. Woolery
Director of Public Safe