INDIANAPOLIS — Ambulance response times for the newly consolidated Indianapolis Emergency Management System slightly increased in February, officials said.
EMS officials said the new operation is running smoothly and call the 3 percent difference “insignificant,” 6News’ Joanna Massee reported.
Records show ambulance response times increased by 3 percent in Feb. 2011 compared to the same month last year in Indianapolis.
Leadership for the newly consolidated Indianapolis EMS said the difference was insignificant and there was actually no real change in response times.
“It was the same month. It was a good month because we stayed the same,” said Indianapolis EMS Chief Dr. Charles Miramonti.
Indianapolis EMS was formed last December as a unification of Wishard and Indianapolis Fire Department EMS services.
Records provided by Miramonti showed in February 2011 ambulances arrived on scene within nine minutes 84 percent of the time. In same month in 2010, ambulances arrived within nine minutes 87 percent of the time.
Records for January 2011 and January 2010 indicated no change.
“Response times are not a good indicator of patient care,” Miramonti said. “Did you get an IV? Did you get the right protocol addressed to you? Did you get an EKG with your chest pain? Were you given aspirin with your chest pain? That’s what we care about, not how fast you got there.”
During an inaugural ceremony for Indianapolis EMS, Mayor Greg Ballard said the new service benefits people in Indianapolis.
“We think we can get a little bit higher level of service with a lower cost, I mean, that’s good government,” Ballard said.
Marion County Public Safety Director Frank Straub said operations were running smoothly.
“We haven’t seen any drop off in service. We haven’t seen any drop off in response time,” Straub said.
Straub said the new agency is currently operating “in the black.”
Indianapolis EMS provides service inside the historic city limits, Franklin, Warren, Washington townships, and Speedway.
Republished with permission from theindychannel.com