Redmond EMS Abstracts.indd - IAFF

IAFF Dominick F. Barbera EMS Conference
The Dominick F. Barbera EMS Conference, which began in 1991, explores all aspects of fire-based emergency
medical services. From the tenets of emergency response system design and operations to medical direction
and privatization and from quality assessment and data collection to billing for transport, this Conference
covers the most relevant topics affecting fire service-based EMS systems.
In recent years, the provision of emergency medical services (EMS) has progressed from an amenity to a
citizen-required public service. Many providers sought the opportunity to develop EMS systems while
others had the responsibility of EMS provision thrust upon them. The providers of prehospital emergency
care across the United States and Canada may vary; however, few communities, if any, lack vital emergency
medical services at some level—in most communities, provided by the fire department.
Today more than 90 percent of professional paid fire departments deliver some emergency medical care
services, making fire departments the largest group of providers of prehospital EMS care in North America.
No other organization, public or private, is capable of providing prehospital emergency response as efficiently
and effectively as fire departments. Fire department operations are geared to rapid response, whether it is for
EMS or fire suppression. Yet, in today’s environment of increased responsibilities and decreasing budgets,
local government and fire department leaders must constantly evaluate and justify current systems and
be prepared to propose system design changes to protect the quality of publicly-funded fire-based EMS.
The information provided in the biennial Dominic F. Barbera EMS Conference is designed to provide
background on EMS systems necessary to bring understanding of system components and system design
models. It is also intended to deliver information to guide local fire department leaders in analyzing their
EMS systems by presenting experiences of fire departments, current technical knowledge and a vision for
the future.
- 185 -