Jefferson County officials are working with area fire departments to get help to those who need it fastest, bridging the gap in ambulance response times.
County leaders met with area fire districts, cities and volunteer departments Tuesday at Vestavia Hills City Hall, continuing to collect feedback about EMS response times. County Commissioner Steve Ammons has been working closely on the issue. He says stopping the bleeding is most important now. “They all operate differently. We need to get to the point where we’re consistent,” Ammons said. “We want to make sure those 911 calls are emergent and we’re getting them there appropriately.”
Right now, the county is looking at a service called Nurse Navigator – a fully staffed, remote program that would work with county first responders to handle non-emergent calls – but can also order a Lyft for a patient to get that person to urgent care instead if that is what is needed.