The mission of the Bossier City Fire Department's Emergency Medical Service is to reduce the amount of pain and suffering of the citizens and guests of our city by providing the highest level of quality pre-hospital emergency care possible.
Since 1929, the Bossier City Fire Department has provided the highest quality fire service to its citizens. In 1985, our department was given the task of providing Emergency Medical Services stabilization and transportation. Since this date the morbidity/mortality rate-as reported by the Louisiana Vital Statistics-has dramatically dropped in Bossier City.
Our service currently serves a population of 60,000 residents over a 41 square mile area with four of the most updated Advanced Life Support equipped ambulances on the market today. Our paramedics not only meet, but also exceed state and national standards in paramedical pre-hospital care. All of these paramedics are certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, and 12-lead interpretation. Most are Confined Space Rescue and Hazardous Materials Technicians. We currently employ 47 Nationally Registered paramedics, 5 Intermediates, 103 Basics, and 19 First Responders.
Normal response for emergency medical incidents in Bossier City will receive the closest Engine Company which is equipped with different levels of Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technicians along with basic and advanced life support equipment, including defibrillators and the nearest advanced life support ambulance. These Engine Companies are dispatched for the sole purpose of decreasing response times (just over 2 minutes) to the sick or injured patients. All outlying stations are paramedic-equipped to reduce advanced care-to-patient times. Each Paramedic Engine Company carries on board a Life-Pak 12 monitor/defibrillator capable of performing 12-lead, pacing, pulse-oximetry, and end-tidal CO2 detection. This information is transferred to the transport unit without repetition of tests, decreasing scene times. All of our advanced life support ambulances are staffed with at least one paramedic-usually two-that respond within five minutes to every emergency. Our system also provides advanced life support treatment and transportation to Barksdale Air Force Base, which is located inside our city.
Our system utilizes remote computers mounted onboard every ambulance that are directly connected to our mainframe via cellular modems. This system receives the information from the field as the paramedic makes entry. The benefits are that the hospital receives a legible report. This report brings in CAD information over to the Patient Care Report, such as response times, scene times, transport times, and down times at hospitals. The statistics are up to the minute. The billing can be processed in the same day of service. This system allows us to no longer file hand written reports in stuffy filing cabinets. Even our EKG strips are maintained on our computer program.
