Brownsville Fire Department Seeks Ways to Reduce 911 Calls

An anesthesiologist certified by the American Academy of Pain Management, Dr. John Wells serves the City of Brownsville, Texas as the City Health Authority and Medical Director of the Brownsville Fire Department Emergency Medical Service (Fire/EMS). Dr. John Wells provided leadership in the creation of pre-hospital Fire/EMS services including the launching of the Mobile Integrated Health and Community Paramedic (MIH/CP) program.

The MIH/CP program is the Dire Department’s way of maximizing the Fire/EMS’ capabilities to respond to real emergencies. It has been noted that frequent 911 callers are asking for assistance with non-emergency medical care. The MIH/CP seeks to identify these frequent callers so that their real needs are evaluated and so that they may be referred to appropriate healthcare facilities.

Brownsville Fire Chief Jarrett Sheldon stated that ambulances getting tied up with non-emergency situations are becoming a commonplace in Brownsville. This situation decreases the Fire/EMS’ capabilities to respond to emergencies such as major vehicle collisions. The MIH/CP program is expected to cut down 911 calls for non-emergency situations.

The Brownsville Fire Department will send two EMS personnel to frequent 911 callers to evaluate what causes them to call 911, whether the reason is the lack of transportation to make a doctor’s visit, lack of adequate information on available healthcare programs, non-compliance to the doctor’s orders, lack of insurance coverage, or being elders who live alone. After the evaluation, Fire/EMS will refer them to veterans groups or non-profits that offer services that meet their needs. The goal of the MIH/CP is to make frequent callers more self-sufficient.

The Difference Between Basic and Advanced Life Support EMS

A graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Medicine, Dr. John Wells serves as a medical director of fire and emergency medical services (EMS) for the City of Brownsville in Texas. Dr. John Wells helped establish the first advanced life support (ALS) paramedic EMS service in Brownsville.

EMS services can provide either ALS or basic life support (BLS) and understanding the difference is important as it affects the delivery of care. BLS EMS providers are not allowed to perform procedures that break the skin of patients, which means they cannot administer injected medications or start an intravenous line. This type of ambulance is also not set up for cardiac monitoring and is thus most appropriate for transport between medical facilities or patients with conditions that are not life-threatening.

ALS EMS ambulances have a paramedic on board. The paramedic is trained to provide cardiac and airway life support. The ambulances can support people who need a ventilator, as well as intravenous medications. In addition, personnel can perform cardiac monitoring and other procedures that can help stabilize patients as they are transported to a trauma center.