Power point
Based on the background information, you will use your skills as a fire and emergency services (FES) administrator to develop a cooperative relationship with those attending the town hall meeting. You will need to emphasize the primary services that a FES organization should focus on when planning customer service efforts. In addition, you will discuss the importance of criteria-based dispatching while, at the same time, demonstrating the importance of a good working relationship with public officials and the community by being attentive to their concerns of responding to noncritical, nonemergency medical incidents.
The following resource will aid you in developing your video, and you should review the document prior to beginning the assignment. Click here to access the Media Guidelines.
This video should provide a clear visual of you speaking. Ensure you dress properly and speak naturally in a pleasant, social manner. You may use any recording equipment to record your video, including a cell phone. Record your video in front of a stage at a local community center (if possible) or a relevant backdrop. Please ensure that there are no distracting or overbearing sounds that hinder the ability to clearly hear your presentation.
Ensure your video and written transcript address the requirements set forth above.
After you have recorded the video, you will upload it to YouTube. Click here to access instructions on how to upload a video to YouTube.
To submit your 3-minute video, copy the link from YouTube into a Word document. In addition to the YouTube link, also include your written transcript in the Word document, and submit it through Blackboard. You should include at least one source that supports your recommendation. Include a reference page containing any material or sources used, and follow APA guidelines.
Remember to review the rubric before you submit the link of your original video.
If you do not have a way to record a video, you may create an eight-slide PowerPoint presentation instead. For the presentation, you must follow the same prompt as described above, but you must also include any image(s) that you would use in the town hall meeting. The presentation needs a title slide, which should include your name, the date, and the title of your presentation, and a reference slide. The title slide and reference slide do not count toward meeting the eight-slide minimum. You will do a voiceover narration for every slide—except for the reference slide. Ensure you follow APA guidelines.
Washington Fire Department Service Background
Traditionally, emergency medical dispatchers utilize questions to gather information from a 911 caller and then dispatch advanced life support (ALS) units to the incident. However, with reduced revenue and the increase of 911 incidents, this is becoming more and more difficult for the Washington Fire Department (WFD) to handle all emergency medical services (EMS) incidents. Many of these incidents are noncritical patients and they still receive response from the WFD as though the patient is critical. The WFD emergency medical dispatchers can identify critical or noncritical patients by asking questions, dispatch the appropriate ALS or basic life support (BLS) units for the appropriate vehicle response mode, and then provide basic medical instructions from written text over the telephone. The previous fire and emergency services (FES) administrator implemented systematized caller interrogation questions, systematized dispatch life support, and emergency medical dispatch. However, WFD continued to utilize the same dispatch response mode as well as dispatching only ALS units for all critical and noncritical incidents. The response mode for all emergency apparatus is responding with red lights and sirens, even if there is no need.
Expansive growth in population has caused an increase in traffic congestion along with the increase in medical incidents. As a result, WFD cannot continue to send emergency ALS units to noncritical medical incidents. ALS resources are limited, and sending ALS units to noncritical incidents causes paramedic intervention delays, response, and treatment of critical patients. As the new FES administrator, you have met with many of the firefighters and paramedics. You have learned that they have become frustrated and dissatisfied responding with red lights and sirens to noncritical patients—many of which are frequent users who require an emergency response at least once a month.
WFD has been reluctant in implementing the final phase of emergency medical dispatch (EMD), which is criteria- based dispatch, because several stakeholders from the community, the city manager, and the elected officials are concerned that patient care will be compromised. Each of the elected officials and the city manager have received numerous complaints from the retirement community, fearing that their lives will be placed in danger if the WFD does not respond as an emergency to all medical incidents. As the new FES administrator, you are scheduled to meet the community in a town hall meeting to address their concerns. You have prepared a flowchart using assumptions and external factors to help you prepare for the meeting. Some of the community’s main questions that must be addressed include the items listed below.
- What are the intended goals and objectives of the criteria-based dispatch program?
- What are the critical areas of concern?
- What are the desired outcomes?
Will this compromise the level of care provided to the patient or cause further injury to patients if responding to a nonemergency?