Watch the story from 9NEWS NOW’s Bruce Leshan (or here)
Written by Bruce Leshan
Most of us call 911 in a real emergency: heart attack, house on fire, someone trying to break in.
But last year, there were 30 people who called DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services a total of more than 2,000 times.
So paramedics set out to see what the problem was, and how to solve it.
DC’s Engine Ten is the busiest in the country. 80 percent of it’s emergency responses are medical calls. And a huge chunk of those are far from emergencies.
Six paramedics are part of a unit named Street Calls that has been visiting the most frequent 911 callers to see if they can help them before they call again.
“Every time I had an appointment, they were calling DC Fire to bring me in the house,” says Joyce McWain Gray. Her private ambulance service was calling 911 twice a day just to get her in and out of her house for doctor’s appointments.
Since the Street Call paramedics first visited, and called the ambulance service, McWain Gray has only had to reach out to 911 twice.
The paramedics also visited a woman who had called 911 161 times. It turned out she had been inhaling from an empty container of asthma medicine for the previous 9 months.
“She no longer calls 911 on a daily basis, and most important, she’s at home, very comfortably,” says Fire Chief Dennis Rubin.
William Andrews was calling 911 every other day because Medicaid had stopped paying for his asthma, heart, and COPD medicine.
“I’d be scared,” says Andrews. “You know, I can’t breathe.”
Street Calls got him a social worker, and straightened out his Medicaid mess.
“Thanks, man!” he said, hugging one of the paramedics.
The fire chief says Street Calls has been good for everyone.
It’s saving money and reducing wear and tear on the fire units.
And the patients are getting help before their problems turn into emergencies.
Street Calls took a look at 25 people it’s worked with so far.
Simple things like getting their medicine refilled, or finding them a place to live, have helped reduce their calls to 911 by 60 percent.
Also on STATter911 …
- Ruling says case of DC EMT fired in 1997 to live on. Court allows suit over failing to reinstate & provide back pay eight-years-ago to continue. – November 3, 2012
- Thank you Dennis Rubin! More than three-years later former DC fire chief confirms STATter911.com’s reporting was accurate. – October 12, 2012
- DC lieutenant’s lawsuit against TV station tossed out by judge under new anti-SLAPP law. Dave thinks this was a case of poor journalism. – January 20, 2012
- Judge rules psych eval ordered for former DC fire captain legitimate. Throws out Vanessa Coleman’s lawsuit. Another DC fire whistleblower suit in court. – September 28, 2012
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The fire engines and ambulances of Washington D.C. (and every other major city) are busy enough without having to deal with non-emergency abuse of 911. In that sense Street Calls may be a good program. But at the same time, should the Fire and EMS Department (the "E" being for "EMERGENCY") really be responsible for this burden? I think not.
That is simple and amazing! Good job makes you forget about the Chain Bridge BBQ.
If only the BS they were selling was true. This program while attractive, innovative, and even appealing at the thought that it could yield a reduction in the number of BS calls. The truth is that this program is not providing any real reduction in the number of runs that the DCFEMS burdened with. The fact of the matter is that only way to really reduce the number of calls is to provide the DCFEMS with the Right of Refusal that many other jurisdictions have adopted.
This is a nice public interest piece of journalism that the DCFEMS has sold the media and the public, unfortunately its just not true.
To the first poster -
No, none of us signed up to be a social worker. You're right. However, if that's the role I need to fill to serve my community (which is what we signed up to do) than that's the role I play. I see cops doing the same thing everyday. The Street Calls unit is just a fire/ems analog to community policing.
In a perfect world the city would have the appropriate staff trained to do this (social workers or public health nurses) – but we all know it's never going to happen, so emergency services workers become the catch-all for everything. It's immensely frustrating, but that's part of the job isn't it?
2425 25th ST SE
4601 MLK Ave SE
2700 MLK Ave SE
There are a hundred more addresses that get visited multiple times a day. Nursing homes and homeless shelters call for things like Lice and he isn't acting right all the time. Nothing is done about these burdens though.
At least something is working for the DCFD!
Although EMS, Fire and Police are not social service programs, they have evolved into safety nets that catch the crap that the rest of society cannot and will not handle.
It is a situation that we have created to ensure relevance in a society where the number and severity of fires is actually decreasing in many jurisdictions.
It has grown out of control. Now, we just have to figure out how to reign it in.
This came about as part of the Ems/Rosenbaum Task Force reccomendations and its just being reported about now. Guess Rubin needed to draw some attention to himself
According to Firehouse Magazine DCFD Engine 10 can no longer claim to be the busiest in the country. They were unthroned by an engine in San Fransisco.
The folks who ran the lady 161 times couldn't figure out when it started 9 months ago that the fact her tank was empty was responsible for a sudden spike in runs to that address?
Street Calls sounds like a proactive approach to a national dilemna. Unforunately, until the national health care problem is solved Fire and EMS will remain as the front line care for many individuals.
I think it's seems like a prety proactive approach. As an outsider looking in from a similar jurisdiction this may not be a bad way to show a public outreach and increase morale from those of us lifting patients/citizens up and down stairs for doctors appointments.
The civilians need to stop hiding at the training academy, on streetcalls, as elo's and other places and get out on the street. Thats why they were hired.
The program doesn't do anything to actually reduce the number of bs calls. These people need education on when to call 911, and lifestar needs to be billed for every time they call 911 to have us lift a pt, they are billing the pt, then we are working for them for free.
Apparently, the new EMS "Captains" will shortly be turned into Rapid Units, 1 for each battalion. Hopefully this time, they'll be used to replace, rather than augment, engine companies.
At least it gets some fat asses off the couch. The whiner's who complain are being compensated to deliver service to the community. Man-up and get the job done. We all have nursing homes, group homes, de-tox centers that call for our services on a regular basis. Take care of these folks as though they were your own relatives. If you don't like the nature of the work, then you can submit your resignation and find something that is more suitable. Those in the Fire/EMS profession have a fairly good gig…complaining about having to go an "BS" calls is not going to get much sympathy in the current economic climate.
…so, in the current economic climate we should continue wasting public resources (tax money) treating non-emergency calls for service like emergencies? We should continue sending $4M worth of men and equipment, when $1/2M would do? That doesn't sound like it will get much sympathy.
To the guy saying we should stop whining about bs calls… Chances are you are not one of the Fireman running Ambulance 10, 6, 11, 30, or 27. We are doing out job, and we are doing it well, but a bs call is a bs call. Try to remember us scumbag firemen when your sitting on your bench in the fifth.
send them to 3702 37th ave, in colmar manor. we need them badly
The DC Fire Dept has now gone to a new LOW, it has promoted F/F's, EMTs & people with less than 5yrs on the job to Captain with…now get this, with one(1) exam ! Others have to wait five years & three Exams to reach Captain. What a slap in the face to all the officers whom waited & got Promoted per exam. Well maybe, some of these (1) test Captains can be "Street-Call" units, then again probably, not. Hey thanks Chief Rubin for "flushing" the careers of those whom did it right.
Engine 10 is has relocated while they renovate their firehouse. So their stats have come down a little……..