Abstract
The goal of this study was to understand safety climate in the United States (U.S.) fire service, which responded to more than 31 million calls to the 9-1-1 emergency response system in 2013. The majority of those calls (68 %) were for medical assistance, while only 4 % of calls were fire-related, highlighting that the 9-1-1 system serves as a critical public health safety net. We conducted focus groups and interviews with 123 firefighters from 12 fire departments across the United States. Using an iterative analytic approach supported by NVivo 10 software, we developed consensus regarding key themes. Firefighters concurred that the 9-1-1 system is strained and increasingly called upon to deliver Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the community. Much like the hospital emergency department, EMS frequently assists low-income and elderly populations who have few alternative sources of support. Firefighters highlighted the high volume of low-acuity calls that occupy much of their workload, divert resources from true emergencies, and lead to unwarranted occupational hazards like speeding to respond to non-serious calls. As a result, firefighters reported high occupational stress, low morale, and desensitization to community needs. Firefighters’ called for improvements to the 9-1-1 system—the backbone of emergency response in the U.S.—including better systems of triage, more targeted use of EMS resources, continuing education to align with job demands, and a strengthened social safety net to address the persistent needs of poor and elderly populations.
Highlights
The emergency medical services (EMS) system in the United States (U.S.) is fragmented, with various private and public entities responsible for dispatching calls, acting as first responders, and providing transport for medical emergencies [1]
Using an iterative analytic approach supported by NVivo 10 software, we developed consensus regarding key themes
The current analysis focuses on the public health implications of firefighters’ concerns regarding the 9-1-1 emergency response system, which were consistently raised across all participating fire departments
Summary
The emergency medical services (EMS) system in the United States (U.S.) is fragmented, with various private and public entities responsible for dispatching calls, acting as first responders, and providing transport for medical emergencies [1]. In 2013, fire departments nationwide responded to 31,644,500 calls to the 9-1-1 emergency response system [2]. The majority of the calls (68 %) were for medical assistance, while only 4 % of calls were fire-related. In 2003, 61 % of calls were for medical assistance and 7 % of calls were fire-related [3]. This distribution of fire service responses reflects broader national trends, which include a decreasing incidence of fires and fire-related injuries [4], along with an increased public reliance on calling 9-1-1 as a point-of-entry into the health care system [1, 5, 6]. The fire service is engaged in activities far beyond fire prevention and control, performing social and medical functions that are key to supporting the public’s health
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