🚑 Brevard EMS Shifts Non-Emergency Transports: What Palm Bay Residents Need to Know
Upcoming changes to Brevard County's 911 response aim to improve emergency availability. ⏱️
Palm Bay, FL - Starting Monday, April 7th, Palm Bay residents calling 911 may notice a change in how some medical calls are handled. Brevard County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is implementing a new operational process designed to keep emergency crews available for the most critical situations.
This change involves coordinating with a long-standing partner, Coastal Ambulance Systems (CAS), to handle transportation to the hospital for calls assessed as non-life-threatening.
So, what does this mean for Palm Bay residents who call 911 for medical assistance? Here's a breakdown of the new process:
When you call 911 for a medical issue, the process may now include these steps:
Triage: Your call will be assessed by 911 dispatchers to determine the potential severity.
Initial Response: Brevard County Fire Rescue (BCFR) units, staffed with paramedics and EMTs, may still respond to your location first, especially if the situation isn't clearly minor based on the 911 call.
On-Scene Assessment: BCFR crews will assess the patient's condition.
CAS Dispatch: If the BCFR crew determines the situation is non-life-threatening but still requires hospital transport, they will contact Coastal Ambulance Systems (CAS) to handle the transport.
BCFR Availability: Once CAS is dispatched and en route, the BCFR unit may leave the scene to become available for other, potentially more severe, emergency calls.
Who is Coastal Ambulance Systems (CAS)?
Coastal Ambulance Systems is not a new entity in Brevard County.
They have an existing franchise agreement with the county and are an accredited ambulance service, recognized as meeting high industry standards.
CAS provides both Basic Life Support (BLS) with EMTs and Advanced Life Support (ALS) with Paramedics, operating 24/7.
They have historically handled interfacility transports and other non-emergency medical transportation needs in the area.
Why is Brevard County Making This Change?
The primary goal stated by Brevard County EMS is to enhance emergency response across the county, including Palm Bay.
By using CAS for stable, non-life-threatening transports, the county aims to ensure that its own highly-equipped ALS ambulances and personnel are more readily available to respond quickly to critical emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, and severe trauma.
Questions Remain:
While the county announced the overall change, some specific operational details were not included in the initial press release:
Specific Criteria: The exact conditions that will be considered "non-life-threatening" for the purpose of dispatching CAS instead of a BCFR transport were not detailed.
CAS Response Level: Whether CAS units responding to these 911 calls will typically be staffed with EMTs (BLS) or Paramedics (ALS) was not specified.
Response Times: Expected response times for CAS once dispatched for these non-emergency 911 calls were not provided.
Billing: Potential differences in patient billing procedures or out-of-pocket costs when transported by CAS versus a Brevard County EMS unit were not addressed.
How Does This Directly Impact Palm Bay? 📍
Palm Bay Fire Rescue provides excellent first response and on-scene medical care. However, ambulance transportation for Palm Bay residents is provided by the Brevard County EMS system, utilizing BCFR resources.
Therefore, this county-wide operational change directly applies to any Palm Bay resident requiring ambulance transport via a 911 call. You may be assessed by Palm Bay Fire or BCFR, and then transported by CAS if your condition is deemed non-life-threatening.
What Should Residents Do?
Brevard County EMS reminds residents:
🚨 Use 911 for Emergencies: Call 911 immediately for true emergencies like suspected heart attack or stroke, severe injuries, uncontrolled bleeding, difficulty breathing, or life-threatening allergic reactions.
🚗 Consider Alternatives for Non-Emergencies: If you or a loved one has a non-emergency medical condition, consider driving to the nearest hospital or urgent care center if it's safe to do so. This may result in faster treatment for non-critical issues.
In summary, Palm Bay residents should continue to use 911 for all medical emergencies. For non-emergency situations requiring transport, Coastal Ambulance Systems may now be the responding ambulance, helping to keep Brevard County Fire Rescue units available for critical calls. This change aims to improve overall emergency response times and ensure that the most serious situations receive immediate attention.
Curated by AI and fact-checked by The Palm Bayer.
My husband has a medical situation that he ends up going to the hospital by this ambulance service 1-2 times a month. Last night while being unloaded the Lutienant told my husband he was tired of having to transport Everytime and should go in a nursing home. My husband said to the other EMT did you hear what he said..he told him he didn't want to get in the middle of it. This is what we have to deal with now.
Another way for the government to take money from the poor and only save the rich