For a month-and-a-half, Knox County's ambulance provider will change how it allocates its fleet of advanced and basic ambulances. The change, requested by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and health department head Martha Buchanan, will see if changing current protocol improves response.
Under the county's current contract, provider Rural/Metro of Tennessee is required to send an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance to all emergency calls, regardless of severity. The company says there is a limited number of ALS vehicles available. That may limit the company's ability to respond quickly, something Jacobs says is exacerbating backlgs at local hospital emergency rooms.
Under the terms of the experiment, Rural/Metro will reserve its ALS ambulances for only the most serious cases. For the rest - the bulk of emergency calls - the company will use the more plentiful Basic Life Support, or BLS, vehicles. Both types are staffed by EMTs trained to handle emergencies. A key difference is that ALS staff are usually called upon to provide more intensive immediate treatment as a patient is carried to a hospital. Examples include serious heart attacks and violent trauma.
The terms of the contract change require the county and Rural/Metro to conduct an evaluation at the 90-day mark and see if the results match the goals of improving response times and allocation of the company's resources and personnel.