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Independence Fire Department says criteria-based dispatch cut fire responses by about 23% since January
Summary
Fire leaders told council the department implemented criteria-based dispatching on Jan. 1 to reduce unnecessary engine responses; department data show roughly a 23% reduction in fire-unit dispatches with safeguards to return calls to fire if AMR requests assistance.
Chief Jimmy Walker and Battalion Chief Burrell told the council on April 14 that the Independence Fire Department implemented a criteria-based dispatch system on Jan. 1 to limit automatic fire-vehicle responses to low-acuity medical calls.
Walker said the department’s annual call volume has climbed from roughly 18,000 calls a year a decade ago to about 29,000, increasing wear on apparatus and personnel. “One of the things we identified was…criteria-based dispatching or keyword dispatching as a way to responsibly reduce the call volume…
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