By EMS1 Staff

Pre-planning tips for EMS providers were highlighted during a session at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis in April. Karen Owens, emergency operations assistant manager at the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services, said pre-plans serve four main purposes:

• Identify target hazards
• Identify limitations
• Access the right information at the right time
• Aid in decision-making

Owens told the session how creating an actual pre-plan is only a small element of the process to ensure they are effective.

"Are you training with it, are you reviewing it, are you writing SOPs in association with that building?" she asked the audience.

Owens said pre-planning can be defined as "a systematic method of gathering and recording facts for the purpose of problem identification/analysis and information retrieval."

The session was told EMS providers need to work with a range of organizations when it comes to conducting pre-plans — and ensure a two-way information sharing process is put in place.

"For pre-planning, we have got to break those silos down and live in the same house," she said.

These organizations include fire personnel, building management, public works departments, police, hospitals and school systems, Owens said.

The goal of the pre-plan, according to Owens, is to ensure responders can work better and more efficiently during an emergency call due to the knowledge they already have of the particular location.

She said it is vital pre-plans are shared with other departments as well as between companies and shifts within individual agencies.

The session was told pre-plans should be drawn up for a range of locations within an agency or department's district, including churches, nursing homes, enclosed malls, schools, libraries, churches, museums and public transport hubs.

After scheduling a meeting with a property owner/manager in order to conduct a pre-plan of a particular location, Owens said the main things that need to be determined are:

• Nature of occupancy
• Number/Location of people
• Special-needs population
• Normal hours of occupancy
• Special hazards