Loveland-Sims Fire Department outlines 3-year community paramedicine pilot to reduce nonemergency ambulance runs

Bruce Hawk, LSFD executive officer, told the Loveland City Council that the department wants to launch a three‑year community paramedicine pilot to reduce strain on ambulance crews and provide direct, nonemergency care to frequent EMS users.

"We have an increasing demand for EMS service in our community, and that creates challenges within our system capacity and our ambulance service," Bruce Hawk said, describing the program as a single dedicated paramedic in a nonambulance response vehicle who would handle medication reviews, minor care and followups to reduce unnecessary transports.

Hawk said department data show rising run volumes and a substantial share of calls classified as noncritical: falls, general illness and nontransports. He reported that falls and noncritical…