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THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON
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REPORT
Meeting:
GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
File# P/~ (;E
Res. #hfV1- 34/-91
By-Law #
Date:
Report #:
JUNE 21, 1999
File#:
Subject:
FD-13-99
10.12.6
TIERED RESPONSE
Recommendations:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration
Committee recommend to Council the following:
THAT Fire Department Report FD-13-99 be received for information purposes.
1. BACKGROUND
1.1 Tiered response, initiated in the 1980's, was set up to dispatch police, fire and
ambulance to what is determined to be a life threatening situation. A life
threatening situation was established as a condition that falls within the following
criteria:-
. absence of breathing
. unconsciousness
. severe bleeding
. motor vehicle accident with ambulance responding
. real or apprehended heart attack
1 .2 Recently there have been two incidents when a tiered response was not
requested. One, where a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and the other when
a worker fell on a construction site. Both of these incidents happened in our
Station #2, Newcastle Village response area and a concern has been voiced, by
some of our part-time firefighters from that station, regarding Clarington Fire
Department not being requested to respond to these incidents.
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In both cases, assistance from the fire department may have been warranted,
however the decision was not made, by the ambulance dispatch, to call for our
participation in a tiered response.
1 .3 From time to time the criteria is reviewed and the level of participation by various
agencies has changed. For instance, the Durham Regional Police do not take an
active part in medical emergencies. The regional fire departments respond at
different levels, some responding to every medical call while others respond only
when absolutely necessary. Clarington Fire Department follows the criteria as set
out in paragraph 1.1. In addition, in the early 1990's, Council approved the
following criteria be incorporated by Clarington Fire Department's response
procedures:
. when no ambulance is available
. when it has been determined that our assistance is definitely required; or
. when it is determined that fire department personnel can be on the scene
before the ambulance and able to provide needed medical assistance.
The additional criteria was approved based on the lack of availability of
ambulances in the Municipality, especially in the rural areas.
1.4 With the introduction of defibrillators into the fire service, participation in medical
calls has increased. There continues, however, to be cases where the fire
departments are not tiered when they could assist and are tiered when their
assistance is not required.
2. REPORT
2.1 A tiered response committee has been established to review the criteria in an
attempt to make it easier for ambulance dispatchers to make the right call. A
complete review will be undertaken over the next several moths.
2.3 Staff will continue to provide Council with any pertinent information that arises or
advise of any changes that may be recommended by the committee.
3. RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 It is respectfully recommended that Fire Department Report No. 13-99 be received
for information purposes.
Respectfully submitted,
Reviewed by,
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Franklin Wu,
Chief Administrative Officer.
MC/sr
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