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Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
In 1987 the City of Longview took on a new task of providing emergency medical services (EMS) previously operated by Letourneau University. This service remained separate from the fire department until 1989 when the decision was made to incorporate the two.
Today the Longview Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Service Section coordinates operational readiness of the department’s EMS system. The EMS system is designed to meet the out-of-hospital emergency medical care needs of the citizens and visitors of the city of Longview in a timely and efficient manner, so as to most appropriately safeguard against the loss of life, disability, and undue pain and suffering. Our system operates by sending Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulances to all incidents that require patient treatment and/or transport. This encompasses all medical related calls for service (sick calls, heart attacks, strokes, major and minor trauma).
The EMS Section is comprised of a Medical Director Dr. Greg Harrington, an EMS Section Chief Amy Dodgen and EMS Operations Officer Ross Dyer. The LFD’s ambulance fleet has a total of 8 MICU’s, with 5 of those staffed front line and 3 response ready reserves. In addition, all 7 engines and 3 trucks are staffed as paramedic fire apparatus with ALS capabilities. All fire suppression personnel are EMS trained and approximately 150 fire suppression personnel are paramedic licensed or certified. LFD’s total medical call for services for calendar year 2016 was 13,798, with total transports to the emergency department of 10,564.
Activities performed by this Section include:
Today the Longview Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Service Section coordinates operational readiness of the department’s EMS system. The EMS system is designed to meet the out-of-hospital emergency medical care needs of the citizens and visitors of the city of Longview in a timely and efficient manner, so as to most appropriately safeguard against the loss of life, disability, and undue pain and suffering. Our system operates by sending Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulances to all incidents that require patient treatment and/or transport. This encompasses all medical related calls for service (sick calls, heart attacks, strokes, major and minor trauma).
The EMS Section is comprised of a Medical Director Dr. Greg Harrington, an EMS Section Chief Amy Dodgen and EMS Operations Officer Ross Dyer. The LFD’s ambulance fleet has a total of 8 MICU’s, with 5 of those staffed front line and 3 response ready reserves. In addition, all 7 engines and 3 trucks are staffed as paramedic fire apparatus with ALS capabilities. All fire suppression personnel are EMS trained and approximately 150 fire suppression personnel are paramedic licensed or certified. LFD’s total medical call for services for calendar year 2016 was 13,798, with total transports to the emergency department of 10,564.
Activities performed by this Section include:
- Point of contact with the medical director and all hospitals to which we transport patients
- Maintenance and management of EMS protocols
- Review all EMS calls to manage compliance issues with protocols and effective delivery of EMS services
- Manage the Quality Assurance Program to make sure we identify quality issues that must be addressed on an individual, company or department basis
- Manage the Quality Improvement Program that is responsible for making sure the techniques, knowledge, skills and abilities of our EMS response personnel are up to expected standards
- Assists the EMS Training Program based on QA and QI results
- Represent the city / department to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Regional Trauma Council and other regulatory and oversight agencies and organizations
- Manage the pharmaceuticals and EMS supplies so we can account for all supplies and equipment necessary to deliver high-quality EMS services
- Review all EMS reports for proper reporting procedures and take corrective actions as needed
- Implement the directives of the medical director for changes to procedures, protocols and drugs that we are authorized to administer as well as other invasive and non-invasive medical procedures that are conducted in a pre-hospital environment
- General fund revenue collections from ambulance services