Steve Kelly, Director of the Anderson County Emergency Medical Services recently announced that Anderson County has began operating Paramedic Quick Response Vehicles in specific areas of the County and within the City of Anderson.
These paramedic staffed vehicles will supplement the current ambulance services within Anderson County and provide better response times for some of the rural areas in the county. The QRV’s will also allow for better utilization of Paramedics to provide Advanced Life Support.
Each ambulance staffed in Anderson County must be staffed with Emergency Medical Technician’s (EMT’s). These EMT’s can provide 95% of the medical care that a person may require, Paramedics can provide the additional 5% that may be needed. The QRV’s will be dispatched by the Anderson County 911 Center with the appropriate ambulance to 911 request requiring advanced level care.
The current shortage of Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians has mandated that all agencies across the United States seek better ways to provide emergency medical services to the areas they serve.
The most important aspect of emergency medial care, is to have someone capable of providing the needed care on scene as soon as possible, transportation is then secondary.
The current Anderson County EMS System is provided by seven private ambulance services that operate under contractual agreement with Anderson County. Some of these providers have been struggling with personnel shortages and the inability to attract EMS personnel to the area.
The QRV concept is being utilized across the country in an effort to reduce the strain on emergency responders, by only sending the resources or personnel that is required to treat the patient. QRV’s can also respond faster to life threatening emergencies, because the personnel are not tied up on transports to the hospitals.
Anderson County Council chose to venture into this aspect of providing emergency medical services to supplement the current providers and ensure that all citizens in the county have access to advanced medical care when it is needed, while reducing response times for true emergencies.
The QRV system will be a true representation of a private-public partnership with the county and the private ambulance services. This partnership will only enhance the county’s ability to ensure that our citizens received the best care possible