Respond to Emergent EMS Calls within 9 Minutes
When someone calls 9-1-1 to request emergency medical services, first responders arrive at the scene of the incident to treat the patient until an ambulance arrives to transport the patient to the hospital, if necessary. The response interval is measured from the time a unit is dispatched to a call until the time that the unit arrives on scene. Advanced Life Support (ALS) incidents are those categorized as emergent using appropriate emergency medical dispatch (EMD) codes. This metric is a core indication of appropriate deployment of ALS resources.
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When someone calls 9-1-1 to report an emergency, he or she expects a prompt answer from someone who can initiate the chain of assistance for the emergency. This measure indicates the percent of 911 calls answered within 15 seconds. This is based on an industry standard.
The call-taking time interval is measured from the time a 9-1-1 call arrives at the Fire Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) until a dispatcher answers the call.