AMR operations manager Cam Hendry’s report on response times
to life threatening calls showed they were able to respond under their goal of
a nine minutes 71% of the time in November, but only 55% in December. While
these times do not meet the 75% standard outlined in their contract, they
signal improvements over the first quarter of 2012 when the Kansas City Fire
Department responded in less than nine minutes only 48% of the time.
One reason the response times are not meeting their goal is
due to the pro-longed process of establishing a home base and staging area for
their ambulance units. Paramedics on 24-hour shifts are required to have
sleeping quarters available in between calls. Due to zoning and fire sprinkler
requirements, AMR’s original location preference, an industrial space off Bell
Road, did not meet code, so they needed a different location.
“We located a building at the Parkville Commons and are
working with the owners. So we’re trying to make sure that building will work,
it has sprinklers which the fire inspector insisted on,” Hendry said. “The
previous building didn’t have a sprinkler system and the cost to install one is
extremely high. We hope to have an answer on that particular space next week
and I’m hopeful it will be positive.”
Since October, AMR has staged these units out of a motel off
Prairie View Road, which due to lack of lodging within the district itself, was
the closest viable option. Hendry said 66% of the calls out of this location
have not met their response time goal.
“It’s not in South Platte or Parkville, which is where we
want the station to be situated. That has had an effect on our response times.
Relocating closer to the area will help correct that,” Hendry said. “That is
where the largest volume of calls comes from. During the day, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (12-hour
shifts) they are posted in Parkville though.”
Hendry indicated it usually takes approximately 20 weeks (approx.
140 days) to collect enough call volume data to evaluate trends and base
response times off.
With two ambulances currently stationed in the district,
there have only been a handful of times where a third has been needed to
respond. Since mutual aid agreements have not been established with the
neighboring jurisdictions of the Northland Regional Ambulance District or the
Kansas City Fire Department, AMR has made plans for a third ambulance to
automatically move to serve in an on-call capacity in the case two stationed
ambulances are on calls.
Board President Bobby Kincaid said he was satisfied with
AMR’s progress and improvement over the previous response times in their couple
months.
“Everyone that we get information from says they are doing a
good job,” Kincaid. “I have not heard very many complaints.”
