COLORADO SPRINGS — The number of Deputy Chiefs at Colorado Springs Fire Department just went from two to three.
The change repositions the department’s medical division as the single responsibility for the new Deputy Chief.
The added position is now assigned to Deputy Chief Jayme McConnellogue.
“We have to just adapt to that and be creative and innovative and really the best part about that creativity and innovation is we are getting the right resource to our citizens and that feels good,” said McConnellogue.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department deals with hundreds of calls a day.
“This last year, we ran around 80,000 calls, we expect that to continue to go up,” said Colorado Springs Fire Chief, Randy Royal.
Of the 80 thousand calls close to 64 thousand were medical.
That is around 80%.
“We get calls from the critical calls down to flu symptoms and sprained ankles and things like that,” said Royal.
The number of less serious medical calls is significant.
“The low acuity medical calls are the ones like a back strain or a sprained ankle or general illness, things like that,” said McConnellogue, “Those calls compromise 40 plus percent of the total medical calls that come into the 911 Center.”
911 was created decades back for life threatening emergencies.
Now, it is commonly not used as intended.
First responders do not question whether a call to 911 is appropriate, they just go.
“The reality is the way that people have learned to access the 911 system is not manageable the way it is but starting a new system isn't an option either,” said McConnellogue.
It is a big part of why Colorado Springs Fire is restructuring and assigning a Deputy Chief to focus on the department’s medical division.
“We've been really changing how we respond and getting more control over sending the right resource,” said Royal, “There's going to be more of that in the future. And that's why this new Deputy Chief is really in a position to address those things.”
McConnellogue has a long history with the department’s medical services.
She helped create the departments Community Medical Response Team commonly referred to as C-MED.
The C-MED teams respond to less acute medical calls to keep sworn firefighters in firehouses ready for more urgent calls.
“For our fire engines and trucks to be available for the high acuity calls, the structure fires, and the rescue responses and the heart attacks and, you know, traumas,” said McConnellogue.
One of the innovations McConnellogue has in the works is a nurse navigation system.
“What I'm excited about with that is response in the future won't necessarily mean a physical response in any way. It would be that nurse’s ability to connect that citizen with a telehealth visit, or transportation to a clinic or things like that.”
In all the fire department’s response and outreach programs there is also an education element to teach 911 callers what is an appropriate call to 911 and where they can turn for medical help when their issues do not rise to the level of emergency.
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