Department of EMS, City of Virginia Beach

Department of EMS, City of Virginia Beach The Department of EMS, City of Virginia Beach (VBEMS) is the primary pre-hospital emergency ambulance transport agency servicing 433,746 people plus tourists in an area of 310 square miles (800 km²),258.7 square miles (670 km²) land, 51.3 square miles (133 km²) water with 58 paid staff and approximately 700 volunteer staff (of those approximately 180 are Advanced Life Support providers) from 10 rescue stations strategically located within the jurisdiction of Virginia Beach, VA. In 2009, the department responded to over 39,000 calls for service.

Administrative Division

Administrative Division is organized into four major programs which provides for leadership, direction and support through the provision of manpower; the promulgation of policies; the management of financial affairs; the performance of liaison activities with related agencies; the processing of public inquiries; the provision of logistics support; the gathering and analysis of data; the performing of research; and the development of programs.

Administrative Division Chief Major Functions:

• Planning/Development: short and long term planning and development of the department as related to Emergency Response System issues, city goals and mission.
• General Management: issue and implement policies, rules and regulations of a control and direction nature on all programs providing updates and maintaining support to ensure proper patient care.
• Recruitment/Public Awareness and Retention: enhance and foster the preservation of volunteer and career staff as well as provide information to general public on system operation.
• Human Resource: certifies and recertifies annually the required number of qualified recruits and current personnel to enable proper staffing levels.^[1]

Training Division

Training Division is organized into three major programs which implement training policies by planning, developing, organizing, and conduction various technical and non-technical programs of study for rescue members, public safety officers (i.e. firefighters, police officers and communications officer) hospital personnel and the general public.

Training Division Chief Major Programs and Objectives:

• Basic Education: provide initial, basic and continuing education in emergency medical care for system personnel for first responder and basic life support patient care services (First Responder Education, EMT Rescue, EMT Fire, Clinical Education, Continuing Education, EVOC and Defensive Driving, Healthcare Provider CPR).
• Advanced Education: provide advanced and continuing education in emergency medical care for system personnel to provide both basic and advanced life support patient care services (EMT-Enhanced, EMT-Intermediate, EMT-Paramedic and Clinical Education).
• Specialty Education: provide specialized education for system and support personnel to enhance their dispatching, medical control, special rescue and general managerial skills (Management Training, Rescue Training, Mass Casualty Training, Dispatcher Training, BTLS, PALS, CPR Instructor, Police Training).^[2]

Regulation and Enforcement Division

Regulation and Enforcement Division is organized into six major programs to ensure the safety of city employees and pre-hospital care providers.

Regulation and Enforcement Division Chief Major Programs and Objectives:

• Regulation and Compliance Program: to ensure the agency is in compliance with Virginia State Office of Emergency Medical Services bi-annual inspection and drug box inventory.
• EMS Ambulance Agency Oversight Program: to provide regulation, coordination and supervision of the commercial and municipal EMS agencies serving the residents to ensure compliance with rules, regulations, policies and medical control oversight as outlined by Virginia Department of Health.
• Infection Control/Compliance Progam: to provide medical direction in connection with health exposures to pre-hospital care providers and citizens.
• Departmental Evaluation Program: evaluate and develop departmental and individual organization and performance indicators.
• Medical Care Liaison Program: establish and maintain a cooperative relationship with area hospital committees.
• Research and Development Program: to explore new ideas and technologies in emergency medical and rescue provision by conducting yearly pilot projects to enhance patient care and provider safety.^[3]

Lifeguard Services Division

The Lifeguard Services Division is organized to provide a safe environment for thousants of people who utilize city are beaches. Virginia Beach Lifeguard Services is associated with the United States Lifeguard Association Certified Open Water Rescue Agency and performs the functions of beach safety, through comprehensive training and coordinated rescue operation by providing lifeguard services to Sandbridge and Little Island Park beaches. Cooperatively working with the Virginia Beach Marine Rescue Team utilizing all terrain vehicles, 4-wheel drive vehicles, personal watercrafts with rescue sleds, rapid response boats, advanced life support unites staffed by medic/lifeguard teams, and enhanced with AirMed (medevac helicopter) and a variety of specialized ocean rescue equipment.^[4]

Operations Division

The Operations Division contains the major components of the department which include EMS Rescue Stations, Special Operations and supplemental first responder services provided by the Virginia Beach Fire and Police departments.

• EMS Rescue Stations: Station 1 Ocean Park, Station 2 Davis Corner, Station 4 Chesapeake Beach, Station 5 Princess Anne Courthouse, Station 6 Creeds, Station 9 Kempsville, Station 13 Blackwater, Station 14 Virginia Beach, Station 16 Plaza, Station 17 Sandbridge.
• Emergency Medical Response: to provide rapid response to and proper provision of basic and advanced patient care services to the general public to reduce patient morbidity and mortality through Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Supplemental Response programs.
• Special Rescue Response: overseeing specialized rapid response through specialized skills enhancing city EMS services by organized teams such as Squad Truck team, Field Supervisor team, Marine Rescue team, Search and Rescue team, SWAT Tactical Medical and Rescue team. In addition the city has established disaster preparedness programs through Mass Casualty Operations, Disaster Operations and Anti-Terrorist Incident Response.
• Air Medical Ambulance: In conjunction with Virginia Beach Police Department, Virginia Beach EMS services the city with the Air Med Critical Care Air Ambulance. The advanced unit provides rapid transport of critically ill or injured patients from incident scenes when time is critical to a patient's survival. The medavac unit is equipped with air navigational and medical equipment, weather radar, terrain awareness system, collision avoidance, night vision goggles (NVG) and outerlink satellite tracking.^[5]

References

1. ^ Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services – Administrative Division
2. ^ Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services – Training Division
3. ^ Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services – Regulation and Enforcement Division
4. ^ Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services – Lifeguard Services Division
5. ^ Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services – Operations Division

External links

• Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services official weblink
• Virginia Beach government official weblink
• Virginia Office of EMS official weblink
• Virginia Department of Health official weblink
• United States Lifesaving Association official weblink