The Leon County Emergency Medical Services (LCEMS) provides emergency response and Advanced life support for all areas of Leon County including Tallahassee. The service was founded on December 31, 2003 and has been active for more than two decades.[4] LCEMS is a government entity of Leon County and receives funding from a 0.75 mill assessment to property taxes.[5]
The Tallahassee Fire Department has never provided patient transport to the hospital, although their personnel are trained in ALS as EMTs and Paramedics. Funeral homes had been providing ambulance service to the citizens of Leon County for decades. Service was inconsistent and many patients died on the way to the hospital for lack of continued medical treatment. Tallahassee Memorial Hospital established Tallahassee's first EMS ambulance service in 1972 which continued through 2003.[6]
The Legislature of Florida enacted the "Raymond H. Alexander, M.D., Emergency Medical Transportation Services Act" in 1973. The legislation required uniform and systematic emergency medical services to reduce disabilities and save lives.[7]
When a 9-1-1 call comes into EMS, it is triaged using state-of-the-art Computerized Medical Priority Dispatch Protocol to ensure an appropriate response to every call. Patients in Leon County are transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Northeast, HCA Capital Hospital Main Campus, HCA Capital Hospital Southwood, and HCA Capital Hospital Lake Jackson. If the situation requires rapid transport from a distant location, paramedics can call for assistance from one of the areas helicopter services. This allows for a patient to be transported directly to the most appropriate facility, in the least amount of time. In some cases, such as severe burns, this could mean transporting a patient directly to the burn center at Shands in Gainesville.[9]
Special operations
The LCEMS Special Operations Unit provides medical coverage at large scale special events such as Florida A&M University and Florida State University football games, cross country meets, seasonal parades downtown, and many other sporting and public events in the community. It is also the mission of the Leon County EMS Special Operations Unit to provide Mass Casualty Incident Management and Medical Care Capabilities to victims of natural or manmade disasters. The unit maintains and manages regional and state assets and will deploy those assets at the request of the state and/or region.[10]
AED registration
LCEMS established a Community AED Program where a registry is maintained of public AEDs that exist in the area as well as with the Consolidated Dispatch Agency (CDA). When a 9-1-1 call is placed from a facility with a registered AED, dispatchers will provide the caller with the location of the AED in that facility. AEDs have proven to significantly increase survivability and positive outcomes for patients in our community.[11]
Child Passenger Safety Seat Program
Parents and caregivers will learn the appropriate car seat for the age and weight of a child and when to transition a child to the next seat to keep the child safe as they grow. Leon County EMS has a limited supply of no-cost convertible child passenger car seats for County residents who meet criteria.[12]
Vial of Life Program
The Vial of Life (VOL) program is nationally recognized and assists EMS workers responding to and treating individuals during home medical emergencies. The VOL form contains an individual's medical history including medical conditions, allergies, current medications and emergency contacts. The form is placed in a baggie and hung on the refrigerator door.[13]
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