County EMS reports 20% year‑to‑date jump in 911 dispatches; response times remain within contract

EMS staff told the County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that 911 dispatches for the year-to-date have increased by about 20%, though not all dispatched calls resulted in patient contact. The increase “can be accounted for in the number of intercept requests we have been getting from other jurisdictions,” and by more calls that are public‑service in nature, the presenter said, adding that the monthly report aligns EMS data with the county 911 center’s computer‑aided dispatch records. The presenter said the service averaged about seven 911 calls per day in July and that response times remained within contractual thresholds: responders typically were en route to scene in just under six minutes, spent about 25 minutes on scene before transport and arrived at destination hospitals in under 10 minutes on average. Lisa Taylor, the 911 director, explained how reporting differs from dispatch counts: “When we create a report, that’s a patient care report based on the contact and care that we give at the scene and during transport. When we don’t make patient contact, or when we’re disregarded, we don’t offer those reports because we never establish or render any care.” The EMS summary for the month listed 33 inter‑facility transfers (eight emergent, 25 non‑emergent), 59 patients who refused care or transport, 35 hospital‑to‑nonhospital transfers (usually discharges to residence or assisted living), 11 public assistance calls and 13 intercept requests from neighboring services. The crew also reported 14 public‑relations events and eight American Heart Association classes delivered locally. Board members asked clarifying questions about a long‑distance transfer to Indianapolis; staff said some transfers that appear on the 911 transport list are inner‑facility moves and may not represent emergency dispatches. The presenter and Taylor said the cross‑referenced figures are intended to present a full picture of all times county EMS units were dispatched from January 1 through the present.