SANDPOINT — During an Emergency Service Management Advisory Committee meeting Wednesday, Deputy Chief Allan Brinkmeier reported several data points used to evaluate the quality and efficiency of the emergency service.  

Brinkmeier went over the district’s second-quarter metrics — covering April 1 through July 31 — for time-sensitive emergency, operational and clinical metrics. 

TSE metrics are broken down by response times to calls for the top three preventable causes of death: cardiac, trauma and stroke.  

According to BCEMS reports, the average time of arrival to a cardiac scene where a patient starts being assessed is eight minutes and 47 seconds, under the goal of 10 minutes. Fifty-nine cardiac patients were attended to during the four-month period.  

For chest pain calls, the average response time was 13 minutes and 41 seconds, below the goal of 20 minutes. Eighteen cardiac arrest patients were treated, with four achieving return of spontaneous circulation.  

For trauma-related incidents, response time averaged 15 minutes and 34 seconds for 187 patients, under the 20-minute goal. Response times for stroke patients averaged 11 minutes and 48 seconds for 49 patients, also under the 20-minute threshold.  

Operationally, BCEMS reported average chute times — the period from dispatch notification to when the emergency vehicle leaves the station — of one minute, 31 seconds, below the two-minute goal for daytime calls and the three-minute goal for night responders. 

Chute times are based on when an emergency service is notified by dispatch to the time the emergency vehicle is en route to the emergency.  

Response times averaged eight minutes and 41 seconds, with the longest time being 38 minutes.  

For paramedic intercepts, the district recorded 70 for the quarter. Paramedic intercepts occur when a paramedic meets a basic life support ambulance to provide advanced services.  

Clinically, BCEMS achieved an IV success rate of 80% and advanced airway success rates of 100%. 

All reported metrics met or exceeded district performance goals.