[Public Safety Committee on August 12, 2025.]
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WE ARE JOINED TODAY BY COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER.
COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND STAFF FROM, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS'S OFFICE.
COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO'S, OFFICE MAYOR PRO TEM CASSICK STADIUM'S OFFICE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER'S OFFICE, AND VIRTUALLY, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S OFFICE.
DID I MISS ANYONE? I THINK I GOT EVERYONE.
WE HAVE ONE PRESENTATION TODAY BY THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT AND WE ARE EXCITED FOR THAT PRESENTATION IF YOU WANNA COME ON UP AND YOU CAN EITHER SIT OR STAND.
AND WE'RE ALSO JOINED BY STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ'S OFFICE.
I'M A DISTRICT CHIEF PARAMEDIC, UH, WITH HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND I HAVE ASHLEY MACKEY, ENGINEER, OPERATOR, PARAMEDIC, AND TIM WHITE OVER HERE, UH, SENIOR CAPTAIN PARAMEDIC, WHO HAVE BEEN MY REALLY BIG BOOTS ON THE GROUND WITH GETTING THIS PROGRAM SET UP.
UM, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO INTRODUCE TO YOU NEW, A NEW DIVISION WITHIN THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE PROACTIVE NEEDS DIVISION.
THE TOP FIVE DEPARTMENTS IN THE COUNTRY HAVE EXPANDED THEIR EMS PARAMEDIC ROLES WITH SOME SORT OF MOBILE INTEGRATED HEALTH PROGRAM TO HELP THEIR COMMUNITIES AT LARGE.
AND WE, THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT WANT TO DO THAT.
THE ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF OF EMS WANT, MATT WHITE WANTS A ROBUST PROGRAM TO HELP HOUSTONIANS YOUR CONSTITUENTS, THE HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THE CITY AT LARGE.
MY RESPONSIBILITY IS TO OVERSEE THE DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THIS IS OUR TEAM FROM OUR MEDIC MEDICAL DIRECTOR, DR. DAVID PER WITH OVERSIGHT THROUGH SUPPORT OF OUR FIRE CHIEF ALL THE WAY DOWN TO, UH, EVERYBODY ELSE THAT'S ON THE TEAM, THE FERARI, JEFF THOMAS, ASHLEY, MIKE SIVAN, AND SUNDOWN.
WE ARE A SMALL TEAM, BUT WE ARE MIGHTY.
WE WEAR MULTIPLE HATS AT EMS. EVERYONE HAS PLAYED AN INTEGRAL PART AND CONTINUES TO PLAY AN INTEGRAL PART IN THIS DIVISION'S DEVELOPMENT FROM DATA ANALYSIS, MOU DEVELOPMENT, MEETING WITH OUTSIDE ENTITIES FOR COLLABORATION AND CONSTITUENT PHONE CALLS AND HOME ASSESSMENTS.
OUR MISSION IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN ALL COMMUNITIES IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WE IDENTIFY SOCIOLOGICAL NEEDS, IMPROVE ACCESS TO CARE, AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF 9 1 1 CALLS THROUGH PROACTIVE CONSUMER CENTERED SOLUTIONS.
HFD PROACTIVE NEEDS DIVISION HAS FOUR AREAS, UM, THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
AND THE FIRST ONE THAT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON IS THE RESIDENTIAL HIGH UTILIZERS.
THESE ARE THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE CALLED 9 1 1 MORE THAN EIGHT TIMES IN A YEAR.
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO OPTIMIZE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH LINKAGE TO CARE DOWN THE ROAD.
WE'RE GONNA START LOOKING AT COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS, BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC, THAT HAVE A HIGH 9 1 1 USAGE.
WE WANNA BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT AND EDUCATE THESE ENTITIES ABOUT THE CALL VOLUME THAT THEY GENERATE.
THIS HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE SEVERE WEATHER, WHETHER IT'S A HURRICANE, FREEZE OR SNOW.
AND IT WILL HAPPEN WHEN OEM GETS STOOD UP.
UM, WE WILL FORM ASSESSMENT TEAMS, UM, AND IT TYPICALLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU ALL GET TEXTS OR EMAILS OR PHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT MAYBE THEY DON'T HAVE WATER OR, UM, THEY'RE RUNNING OUT OF FOOD, WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
WE GET SENT OUT, WE'LL DO A NEEDS ASSESSMENT.
UM, WE WILL SUBMIT AN ONLINE FORM THAT'S GENERATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT EVENT.
IT GETS SENT TO LOGISTICS SO THAT THE NEEDS CAN GET MET, AND THEN WE GET THE INFORMATION BACK TO YOU SOMEHOW AS TO WHAT WE ENCOUNTERED.
WE ALSO DO Z THE Z TRIP COORDINATION ON THE FIRE SIDE.
SO WHEN WE GET DISPATCHED TO A CALL, UM, THE, THE APPARATUS MAY GET ON SCENE AND INSTEAD OF IT BEING A SICK PERSON, THEY JUST NEED A RIDE TO THE SHELTER.
SO INSTEAD OF STAYING ONLINE AND BEING ON HOLD, HOLD WITH 3 1 1 TO GET THE RIDE SET UP, THEY'LL CALL A SPECIFIC NUMBER THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH US, AND WE WILL INPUT THE INFORMATION FOR Z TRIP.
AND IT'S A QUICK TURNAROUND, THEY'RE BACK IN SERVICE, AND WE GET A RIDE FOR YOUR CONSTITUENTS TO GO TO THE SHELTER.
AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, AND THIS IS DOWN THE ROAD, UM, IS ACTUALLY A MOBILE
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INTEGRATED HEALTH PROGRAM.UM, AND IT CAN GO A, A VARIETY OF DIRECTIONS, BUT THAT'S GONNA BE UP FOR DISCUSSION HERE IN THE FUTURE.
OUR GOALS, IDENTIFY, COLLABORATE, EMPOWER, ADVOCATE, PREVENT AND DECREASE.
ALL OF OUR GOALS ARE INTERCONNECTED AND THEY'RE ALL REQUIRED TO BE EFFECTIVE.
IDENTIFY OUR IT EXPERTS, USE IMAGE TRENDS SOFTWARE TO GATHER AND EXTRAPOLATE DATA TO ASCERTAIN PATIENT NEEDS, CALL VOLUME AMOUNTS, AND OTHER STATISTICAL DATA THAT'S NEEDED.
WE SEEK, MEET AND COLLABORATE WITH OUTSIDE ENTITIES TO ASSIST HOUSTONIANS.
WE PARTNER WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES TO DELIVER A FULL SPECTRUM OF SERVICES.
WE EMPOWER YOUR CONSTITUENTS TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING ADVOCATE BY ACCOMPANYING THEM TO DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS, VERIFYING INSURANCE PLANNING AND SETTING GOALS, AND CALLING ON OUR PARTNERS IN CARE FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES SO THAT YOUR CLIENTS CAN BE SEEN AND HEARD.
PART OF THE SOLUTION IS HEALTH MAINTENANCE.
WE PROVIDE ONGOING OUTREACH TO ENSURE THAT EQUALITY OF LIFE IS CONTINUED AND ADDITIONALLY IN THE END, WE GET DECREASES IN THE USES OF CITY RESOURCES AND BUDGET WEAR AND TEAR ON HFD VEHICLES AND HOSPITAL RESOURCES WILL HAPPEN.
WITH ALL THESE COMBINED, WE WILL BE PART OF THE TOP FIVE FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE NATION WITH A COMMUNITY PARA PARAMEDICINE MOBILE INTEGRATED HEALTH PROGRAM.
SO THESE ARE NUMBERS AND I'LL JUST, I'LL GO OVER THE GRAPH REAL QUICK.
UM, SO THE GRAY BAR SHOWS THE TOTAL INCIDENTS FOR YEAR, WHICH COMBINES FIRE AND EMS BLUE IS STRICTLY EMS INCIDENTS.
AND YOU CAN SEE BETWEEN 2019 AND 2020, WE HAD A LITTLE DECREASE DUE TO COVID.
AND THEN COME 2022 ON UP, IT'S JUST EXPONENTIALLY GOTTEN GREATER AND IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO GET GREATER.
ASHLEY, ASIDE FROM THAT, YOU MAY WONDER WHY FIRE INCIDENTS ARE GREEN.
THAT'S BECAUSE FIRE PREVENTION IS WORKING.
THAT IS AN ACTUAL GOOD THING AND THAT'S WHY THE NUMBERS ARE LOW.
UM, WITH WHAT WE HAVE GOING ON, THEY'LL CONTINUE TO BE LOW, UM, EVEN WITH THE OUTBREAK AND INCREASE IN FIRES.
HOWEVER, THE EMS INCIDENTS ARE ON A RISE, OF COURSE, AND NOT TO SOUND DOOMSDAY, BUT, UM, AN ESTIMATED 1.7 MILLION PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO LOSE COVERAGE.
UM, ASIDE FROM THAT, WE HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, MEMORIAL HERMANN, UM, NURSING HOME CLOSING DOWN.
WE HAVE DIFFERENT FREE CLINICS CLOSING DOWN, THINGS LIKE THAT.
HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, ASSIST THE CONSTITUENTS.
AND, BUT IF YOU COULD PLEASE JUST TAKE NOTE OF THE NUMBERS, THEY ARE ON THE RISE.
SO, UM, JUST, UH, BY THE NUMBERS INFOGRAPHIC, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ABOUT 18, OVER 1800, UH, HIGH UTILIZERS OF 9 1 1.
AND THAT INCLUSION CRITERIA IS THEY DIAL 9 1 1 8 TIMES OR MORE PER YEAR.
UM, THAT YEAR IS A 365 DAY PERIOD YEAR.
UM, WE HAVE A MIGHTY TEAM OF 12 NOW, 13.
UM, THEY DO HAVE THEIR, WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN POSITIONS AND DUTIES.
SO THIS IS IN ADDITION TO OUR OWN DUTIES.
UH, AND ALSO THIS STAGGERING STATISTIC ABOUT ONE IN 10 CALLS RECEIVED BY OEM IS A HIGH UTILIZER.
SO THAT RIGHT THERE SHOWS THE NEED FOR THIS TEAM AND PROGRAM.
UM, ALSO THE MAIN THING IS ALL CITY COUNCIL DISTRICTS ARE AFFECTED.
UM, THERE'S, THERE'S NO ONE THAT IS LEFT OUT.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE AND LOOKING AT THIS NEXT SLIDE.
SO, COUPLE OF SUCCESS STORIES.
UM, MISS L, JUST TO, WE ARE HIPAA, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE HIPAA COMPLIANT.
MISS L IS SOMEONE WHO IS ONGOING.
JUST TO SHOW YOU ON THE RIGHT, THE CALL VOLUME IN 2024 WAS PRETTY HIGH.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, HOW MANY TIMES DO WE AS CONSTITUENTS
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CALL 9 1 1? IT'S NOT THAT MANY.HOWEVER, UM, THIS PERSON HAS CALLED 9 1 1 55 TIMES IN 2004, 2025.
AND THEN ONCE WE INTERVENED, UM, SO FAR IT'S BEEN ZERO.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE WALKED HER THROUGH, UM, HER CARE, WHAT SHE NEEDS, AS WELL AS DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS, UM, TO GET HER, UM, ON A BETTER ROAD TO LONGEVITY.
SO WE HAD, WE ADVOCATED FOR HER AT MEMORIAL HERMANN, UM, SENIOR CAPTAIN WHITE.
AND I STAYED THERE WITH HER IN THE ER FOR FIVE HOURS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE SURGERY THAT SHE HAS NEEDED.
SHE WAS DENIED SURGERY THREE TIMES.
WE SWITCHED HER OVER FROM THE PLANNED, UM, UH, SUB INSURANCE TO ACTUAL TRADITIONAL MEDICARE.
AND AFTER THAT, SHE WAS ABLE TO ACTUALLY GET THE APPROVAL TO GET THE, HER SURGERY, WHICH WAS A SPINAL LAMINECTOMY.
UM, SHE SINCE WENT TO REHAB, UM, REHABILITATION CENTER, AND SHE WAS DOING WELL.
SO WE DO HAVE A 90 DAY MODEL THAT WE USE.
HOWEVER, IT'S NOT, WE DON'T CUT THEM OFF AT 90 DAYS.
ONCE, ONCE YOU SIGN UP AS A CLIENT, YOU'RE ALWAYS A CLIENT.
SO IF WE SEE THAT THE CALL VOLUME GOES UP OR YOU IDENTIFY OR THEY IDENTIFY A NEED, THEN WE WILL CONTINUE TO HELP.
SO IT'S NOT 90 DAYS YOU'RE DONE.
SO THE WAY THAT WE DISCOVER THESE CLIENTS IS EITHER THROUGH OUR DATA ANALYTICS OR UM, THROUGH THE HFD RESPONDING UNITS.
THEY'LL SEND US AN EMAIL TO SAY, HEY, THIS PERSON NEEDS HELP.
AND WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL GO AND IDENTIFY A NEED THROUGH OUR DATA ANALYTICS ON THE BACKEND, AND THEN WE WILL, UM, GO OUT, MAKE CONTACT WITH THE PATIENT OR CLIENT AT THAT POINT, IF THEY WANT TO SIGN UP, WHICH SO FAR WE HAVE A HUNDRED PERCENT SIGN UP RATE, UM, THEN WE'LL SIGN THEM UP AND GET THEM STARTED TO SEE WHAT THEY NEED AND ADDRESS EVERYTHING.
SO THIS WAS A 16-YEAR-OLD PEDIATRIC PATIENT.
UM, SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH SOME TRAUMATIC THINGS AND WHILE SHE WAS AT SCHOOL, WE ACTUALLY CORRESPONDED WITH, UM, THE HARRIS CENTER.
UM, THE HARRIS CENTER, UM, HAS A PSYCHOLOGIST ON STAFF.
SO WE RESPONDED WITH HER TO THE LOCATION, SPOKE WITH THE MOTHER, AND BY THE END OF THAT DAY, SHE WAS SET UP WITH A PROGRAM.
SHE WAS SET UP WITH THE PROGRAM THAT WILL BRING TREATMENT TO HER DOOR.
SO SHE DID NOT HAVE TO GO, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO GO TO, UM, A LOCATION.
YOU KNOW, SHE CAN SIT AND BE COMFORTABLE AND ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT WHAT SHE'S GOING THROUGH.
SINCE THEN, SHE'S NOW THRIVING.
SHE IS NOW, UM, DOING REALLY WELL IN SCHOOL.
AND THAT ONE TIME YOU SEE DOWN AT THE BOTTOM, THE POST PCNT SUPPORT THAT ONE TIME SHE ACTUALLY WAS ROUTED TO 9, 8, 8, SHE'S DEALING WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND SHE WAS ACTUALLY, SHE ACTUALLY CALLED THE CORRECT NUMBER FOR HER SITUATION.
SO, UM, AND GOT HELP RIGHT THEN AND THERE.
WE, WE GO, WE DON'T GO FOR PERFECTION, WE GO FOR BETTERMENT.
SO, UM, SINCE THEN SHE'S DOING WELL.
NEXT SLIDE, MS. S UM, SHE WAS HAVING TROUBLE WALKING.
SHE, WHEN WE, WHEN WE SHOWED UP TO HER DOOR, SHE WAS ON OXYGEN AND SHE WAS SMOKING.
SO OF COURSE WE WERE JUST LIKE, HEY, THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING.
SO WHAT WE DID WAS WE, UH, GOT HER INTO A SMOKING CESSATION PROGRAM.
SHE ALSO, UM, HAD INSUFFICIENT FOOD.
SO, UH, THE CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS GAVE US A HUNDRED DOLLARS GIFT CARD.
WE WERE ABLE TO BUY THE RUN ONE INGREDIENT, FOOD ITEMS LIKE FLOUR TO MAKE, YOU KNOW, CRUST AND BREAD, SUGAR TO, YOU KNOW, MIX WITH THE FLOUR TO MAKE THINGS.
SO, UM, IT LASTED HER TWO WEEKS.
HER BROTHER, UM, WAS ALSO IN, IN IS HAD AN ISSUE.
SO, UM, WE GOT HIM JOB SUPPORT AS WELL THROUGH TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION.
SO EVEN THOUGH WE'RE DEALING WITH A PATIENT OR A CLIENT, IF THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE IN NEED, WE WILL HELP THEM AS
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WELL.SO THESE ARE CURRENTLY ALL OUR PARTNERS IN CARE, WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM TO, UM, BRING THE SERVICES THAT YOUR CONSTITUENTS NEED TO THEM, AND HOPEFULLY IT'LL GROW.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION ON ALL OF THE GREAT WORK YOU DO.
UM, WE WERE JOINED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRESENTATION BY OUR VICE CHAIR, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS, AND COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN AND STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S OFFICE.
AND WE DO HAVE QUITE A FEW COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE.
FIRST UP, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ.
UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA TO REACH OUT TO THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE CALLING 9 1 1 THE MOST FREQUENTLY AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP AND REDUCE THE NUMBER OF 9 1 1 CALLS.
I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW, AND I MAY HAVE MISSED IT DURING THE PRESENTATION, SO IF I HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY AND I NEED TO BE TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE, UM, I'M GONNA GET BILLED FOR THAT AND HOPEFULLY I'VE GOT INSURANCE.
I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHEN YOU INTERVENE LIKE THIS, UH, FOR THE FOLKS WHO ARE FREQUENT CALLERS, UM, IS, IS THERE A CHARGE? AND IF SO, WHO, WHO PAYS FOR THAT? NO CHARGE.
UH, ALSO, UM, ON THE SLIDE THAT HAD THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RUN VOLUMES, UM, YOU KNOW, RELATIVE TO EMS CALLS, THE NUMBER OF FIRE INCIDENTS IS, IS VERY LOW, BUT IT HAS RISEN, UM, SINCE 2020.
UH, IN 2020 THERE WERE 43,000, UH, PLUS.
AND LAST YEAR, UH, IT WAS UP TO 59,000.
AND I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU, UH, HAD ANY, UH, THOUGHTS ON THE REASONS FOR THE INCREASE IN FIRE INCIDENTS? YOU ANSWER THAT ONE MORNING AGAIN.
SENIOR CAPTAIN, UH, MR. FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE, THE FIRE CALLS, IF YOU COULD JUST SPEAKING INTO ONE OF THE MICROPHONES, I'M SORRY.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE FIRE INCREASED CALLS, IT'S NOT JUST FIRE ITSELF, IT'S ALWAYS A BREAKDOWN IN, UM, UH, FIRE ALARMS, UH, GAS LEAKS.
UH, THAT'S THE NUMBER INCREASE.
UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGE RATE IS 88%, MAYBE TO 12% OF FIRES.
MAYBE IT WAS LIKE FIVE OR 6% OF ACTUAL WORKING FIRES THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE IN THE CITY.
UH, EVERYTHING ELSE, AGAIN, BREAKS DOWN TO FIRES ON THE FIRE ALARMS, UH, GAS LEAKS AS, UH, MS. MACKIE SAYS, THAT'S WHY YOU'LL SEE THAT INCREASE, BUT NOT ACTUAL WORKING FIRES.
SO, SO DO YOU THINK THE INCREASE HAS BEEN LARGELY DUE TO ALARM, ALARM CALLS THEN? NOT FIRE, FIRE, NOT FIRE, NO MORE ALARM CALLS, UM, THEN LIKE GAS LEAKS AGAIN.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE ATTRIBUTE THAT TO.
UM, LET ME ASK YOU AS WELL, UH, THE EMS NUMBERS AND THE FIRE NUMBERS, THEY INCLUDE CALLS THAT ARE MADE, UH, OUT TO THE TOLL ROAD CALLS ON THE TOLL ROADS.
SO YES, YES, YES, WE DO, DEPENDING ON, ALRIGHT.
AND DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW HOW MANY, UH, UH, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THOSE CALLS LISTED ON THE SLIDE WOULD BE TOLL ROAD CALLS? I DO NOT HAVE THAT ANSWER, BUT WE CAN GET THAT.
SO, UH, AND LAST THING I WANT TO TOUCH ON IS, UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS DARK BLUE COLUMN FOR EMS INCIDENTS, 357, ALMOST 358,000 IN 2024, ON, ON THOSE INCIDENTS, DID, DID A FIRE TRUCK GO OUT AS WELL AS AN AMBULANCE? MOST OF THE TIME YES, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A TIERED RESPONSE, SO YES, SIR.
I CAN'T, I CAN'T GIVE YOU SPECIFIC NUMBERS, SORRY.
BUT, UM, MOST OF THE TIME CAN, CAN WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE, WE DON'T HAVE TO SEND A FIRETRUCK OUT ON THESE EMS CALLS, DO YOU THINK WE WOULD LOVE TO GET TO THAT POINT, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT OBVIOUSLY REQUIRES FURTHER DISCUSSION AND I, SINCE WE'RE NOT PART OF DISPATCH, UM, IT'S HARD TO COME UP WITH AN ANSWER.
SO DO YOU, ANY OF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON HOW WE MIGHT DO THAT? ANY THOUGHTS TAKE CONCERTED EFFORT? YOU THANK YOU, BRIAN.
WE'RE, WE'RE JUST GONNA BRING THE WHOLE STATION UP HERE AND UH, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL GET YOU THE ANSWER ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
UM, SO, UH, TO, TO WHAT EO MACKEY WAS, UH, MENTIONING, WE HAVE A TIERED RESPONSE.
AND SO THERE ARE CERTAIN C CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE, UM, THE WAY THAT IT'S DISPATCHED WILL DEPEND ON, UH, BOTH PROXIMITY
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AND AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES.SO IF AN AMBULANCE IS BEING USED FOR A TRANSPORT, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE TIERED RESPONSE WITHIN THE AMBULANCES, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE A LS AND BLS, UH, A LS IS ADV, ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT.
THEY HAVE DIFFERENT CAPABILITIES, UM, WITHIN THEIR, THEIR EXPERTISE AND THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE ON THE APPARATUS.
AND SO, UM, THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE, LET'S SAY IT'S A, A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT AND, UM, THE FIRETRUCK MAY GET THERE FIRST, UM, AS PART OF THE RESPONSE AND THEY CAN BEGIN, UM, EMS SUPPORT.
THEY CAN, BECAUSE ALL OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS ARE EMTS AS WELL.
AND SO THEY CAN BEGIN BASIC LEVEL CARE, UH, AND THEN IT'S POSSIBLE THAT MAYBE THEY JUST HAD A BANGED UP KNEE, MAYBE THEY JUST NEEDED, YOU KNOW, A BANDAID OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, AND THEY DON'T EVEN NEED AN AMBULANCE.
SO THAT'S PART OF WHY WE HAVE THE, THE MIXED UH, DISPATCH PROTOCOL LIKE THAT THAT INCLUDES BOTH, UH, EMS AND FIRE TO THESE EMS CALLS BECAUSE EVERYONE IS, UH, CROSS TRAINED TO A CERTAIN LEVEL AND THEY CAN TRIAGE THE CASES BECAUSE, UH, AND I KNOW DR.
PER IS HERE IN THE AUDIENCE, HE CAN TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE, UH, RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.
OUR, OUR AMBULANCES GO INTO WHAT'S CALLED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, WHICH IS WHEN WE HAVE 20% OR LESS AVAILABILITY FOR RESPONSE.
UM, WE ARE AT A SITUATION WHERE, AND THAT'S REALLY THE, THE CRUX OF WHAT THIS PROACTIVE CONSUMER NEEDS TEAM IS ABOUT, IS TO LOWER THE NUMBER OF, UH, RESOURCES THAT ARE REQUIRED, RIGHT? SO, UH, THESE, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH THE, UH, CONSUMERS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY OR THE NEXT PHASES WHERE WE START LOOKING AT, UH, UH, COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, IT'S ALL, THIS WHOLE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO REDUCE THE IMPACT ON RESOURCES.
AND SO WE DO THAT IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS THROUGH THE DISPATCH MODEL, THROUGH THE PROACTIVE CONSUMER NEEDS TEAM AND, AND MANY OTHER THINGS.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THAT, BRENT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN THANK YOU CHAIR FOR BRINGING THIS, THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING AND I'M REALLY SO GLAD THAT WE'RE DOING THIS.
WE'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT THESE FREQUENT FLYERS FOR A LONG TIME AND, AND YOU'RE BEING VERY PROACTIVE ABOUT HOW TO, HOW TO HANDLE 'EM.
I'M, AS ALWAYS, I'M INTERESTED IN THE MONEY AND IT'S PROBABLY, HOW, HOW LONG HAVE Y'ALL BEEN DOING THIS? I DON'T THINK WE'RE QUITE AT A YEAR YET, YET.
SO YOU, YOU DON'T REALLY HAVE THE DATA DR.
PER YET TO TELL ME HOW MUCH MONEY WE'RE SAVING ON ALL ON, UM, NOT GOING OUT TO ALL THESE CALLS, BUT THAT'S THE ULTIMATE GOAL.
AND AGAIN, TO COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ'S POINT TO, TO SAVE ON THE, THE RESOURCES AND, AND, AND TRUTHFULLY, IF, IF SOMEBODY IN MY HOUSE HAVING A HEART ATTACK, I DON'T CARE IF A FIRE, FIRE, FIRE ENGINE, I WANT THE CLOSEST PERSON TO COME.
SO THAT'S WHY FIRE, FIRE ENGINES COME, PEOPLE GET MAD ABOUT IT, AND IT DOES COST MORE, BUT UNTIL WE HAVE A MILLION MORE AMBULANCES OR A LOT MORE AMBULANCES, THEIR FIRE ENGINES ARE GONNA HAVE TO COME.
UH, BUT, BUT THIS IS A GREAT WAY OF, OF GETTING TO THAT.
SO, UM, TO THE EXTENT YOU'RE ABLE TO QUANTIFY, YOU KNOW, WHAT THIS IS SAVING, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING DATA TO THAT, TO THAT EFFECT.
UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY YET, OR IF AS, AS, AS AS YOU OPERATE LONGER, UM, THAT'S CERTAINLY IMPORTANT.
AND ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE JUST KIND OF STARTING THAT ASPECT? YES.
SO WE HEAR OFTEN ABOUT, UM, NURSING HOMES WHO ARE CALLED, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO GO A JILLION TIMES TO TO RIGHT.
THE NURSING HOMES JUST TO REALLY LIFT SOMEBODY OUT OF OFF THE FLOOR.
I'M, I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA TACKLE THAT IN THIS, THAT IS THROUGH THIS PROGRAM ON OUR LIST? CORRECT.
AND, AND DO YOU HAVE TO BE TRAINED AND, AND, AND EDUCATED, I GUESS, ON A LOT OF THE INSURANCE MATTERS? YOU, YOU'RE BECOMING INSURANCE SPECIALISTS IT SOUNDS LIKE? NO, NOT SO FAR.
UM, ALL WE DO IS CALL THE 800 NUMBER.
A LOT OF TIMES THESE ARE MEDICARE AND MEDICAID RECIPIENTS, CMS. OKAY.
SO WE CAN CALL AND ONCE WE CALL AND GET AUTHORIZATION, UM, WE CALL WITH THE CLIENT RIGHT THERE SO THEY CAN GIVE THAT AUTHORIZATION RIGHT THEN.
AND SO THEN WE CALL TO SAY, HEY, WHAT, WHAT DO, WHAT DOES THIS CLIENT HAVE? LIKE, UM, DO THEY HAVE TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE DOCTOR? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT OFFERED? OKAY.
SO YOU'RE BASICALLY SITTING ON THE PHONE TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT FOR THEM AND DOING THAT JOB FOR THEM.
UM, WHICH IS TIME CONSUMING AS WE ALL KNOW WHEN WE'VE, ANYBODY THAT'S CALLED AN INSURANCE COMPANY.
AND THERE IS A CALL, THOUGH, YOU'RE SAVING ON, ON ONE SIDE? IT IS, IT IS A COST CERTAINLY TO THE DEPARTMENT.
WHAT ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME IS ALLOCATED? I MEAN, YOU, YOU ALL ARE DOING YOUR REGULAR JOBS AT YOUR OTHER, AT YOUR STATIONS, AND THEN HOW MUCH TIME IS ALLOCATED? SO ALL OF US HERE ARE ASSIGNED TO EMS HEADQUARTERS, WHICH IS AT 500 JEFFERSON.
OKAY, SO YOU'RE NOT AT A WE'RE NOT AT A STATION.
AT A STATION, BUT WE ALL HAVE MULTIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR EMS ON THAT FLOOR.
AND THIS IS IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE ALREADY DO IN A TIME.
AND, AND IF YOU COULD PUT AN AN AN HOURS PER WEEK, UM, ON THIS PROJECT
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ABOUT WHAT WOULD THAT BE? WELL, OUR IT SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT, UM, SPENDS ABOUT 10 TO 12 HOURS A DAY OUTSIDE OF WORK.I KNOW THERE'S ONLY 24 HOURS IN A DAY, BUT, UM, HE SPENDS ABOUT 10 TO 12 HOURS WORKING ON THAT.
UM, AS FAR AS DATA GOES, THE ANALYTICS, WE SPEND ABOUT EIGHT TO 10 HOURS A DAY IN ADDITION TO OUR REGULAR SHIFT.
WAS THAT THEN YOU'RE INTO OVERTIME OR WHAT, WHAT'S, HOW, HOW
I MEAN, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET A HANDLE ON, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SAVING MONEY, BIG MONEY ON THE RESOURCE SIDE RIGHT? WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU CUT DOWN FROM 55 TO ZERO CALLS.
UM, SO IT'S PROBABLY NOMINAL COMPARED TO THAT.
BUT I, I DO WANNA HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF KIND OF WHAT, UM, WHAT, UH, ADDITIONAL EXPENSE OR WHATEVER THIS MIGHT BE.
UM, PERSONNEL WISE, I THINK, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE IN NEED OF MORE PEOPLE TO, UH, TACKLE WHAT WE'RE DOING.
UM, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE SMALL AND MIGHTY.
UM, WE'RE GONNA DO WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THIS DONE.
UH, WE DON'T GET OVERTIME FOR THE EXTRA HOURS WE PUT IN, BUT, UM, WE DO HOPEFULLY ALLOW OUR PEOPLE TO TAKE COMP TIME IF THEY PUT EXTRA HOURS IN THAT, YOU KNOW, I WANNA LEAVE AN HOUR EARLY, I'M GONNA LET YOU DO THAT.
UM, BUT YEAH, THE DATA ANALYTICS HAS, I'LL JUST SAY IT'S KIND OF A NIGHTMARE.
UM, TO SET UP THE, UH, FORMULA TO RUN THIS, THE, THE, THE DATA, UM, THAT COULD TAKE SEVERAL HOURS JUST TO RUN IT AND THEN TO HAVE TO BREAK IT DOWN INTO WHAT PIECES WE WANT.
IT'S JUST VERY TIME CONSUMING.
AND WHAT'S YOUR TIMELINE ON GETTING TO THOSE THAT LAST, THE, THE MOBILE APPLICATIONS AND THAT OTHER STUFF YOU'RE TRYING TO DO? THE FOUR STEPS? YEAH.
IT'S GONNA BE DEPENDENT ON THE STAFFING AND HOW QUICKLY WE CAN SURE.
YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE SOME STUFF WE'RE TRYING TO GET SET UP, UM, JUST WITHIN THE PROGRAM ITSELF TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
UM, AND WE'RE WAITING ON OTHER PEOPLE TO FINISH THEIR PARTS.
UM, SO ANOTHER COUPLE YEARS OR MAYBE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UH, YOU KNOW, SOCIAL INPUT FROM THE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
I HAD A FRIEND, UH, LONG TIME CLASSMATE, GREW UP IN THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD THERE IN THIRD WARD, I THINK THAT'S NEAR FIRE STATION, WHO'S THE 25 OFF OF LELAND AND IN THAT AREA.
AND HE WAS ONE OF THE FIREFIGHTERS THAT LED THE PROGRAM WITH FURNISHING, UM, SMOKE, UH, DETECTIVES, CAPTAIN WHITE, YOU KNOW.
AND IT WAS A PHENOMENAL PROGRAM.
UM, SO ARE YOU, IS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CONTINUING THAT, UH, PROGRAM PARTICULARLY WITH SENIOR CITIZENS? THAT WAS THE WHOLE FOCUS OF THAT, AND I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO KNOW IF THAT'S ONGOING.
SO THE GET ALARM HOUSTON PROGRAM IS STILL IN, UH, PART OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IT IS, UH, WE GET, WE GET THE FIRE, THE SMOKE DEPARTMENTS, UH, THE SMOKE DETECTORS FROM KITTY IS THE NAME OF THE COMPANY.
AND, UM, THAT'S RUN THROUGH OUR PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION.
AND SO WE DO THAT BOTH FOR, UH, TRADITIONAL SMOKE ALARM.
SO ANYONE WHO, UH, OWNS THEIR HOME, UH, AND IS, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY, THEY NEED HELP GETTING THAT.
WE, THERE'S THE VERY, VERY LOW THRESHOLD.
YOU JUST EXPRESS THE NEED AND WE'LL COME OUT AND WE'LL TAKE CARE OF IT FOR YOU.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S ALSO, IF YOU HAVE, UH, UM, CURING ISSUES, IF YOU HAVE A DISABILITY FOR, TO WHERE A TRADITIONAL SMOKE ALARM WOULDN'T YEAH.
WE HAVE SMOKE ALARMS FOR THE DEAF AND HEART OF HEARING THAT ARE, THAT INCLUDE THINGS LIKE STROBE LIGHTS AND BED SHAKERS, AND THOSE ARE ALL AVAILABLE IF YOU GO TO, UH, HOUSTON FIRES WEBSITE, HOUSTON TX.GOV/FIRE, UH, YOU CAN GO ON THERE AND THERE'S A FORM TO FILL OUT.
WE'LL COME OUT AND INSTALL 'EM FOR YOU.
WELL, I CERTAINLY WILL KEEP UP ON THAT 'CAUSE I LIKE TO KNOW IF THE RATIO IS, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S ANNUALLY HOW MANY, UH, SMOKE DETECTORS THAT YOU'RE PUTTING IN THE HOMES, AND HOPEFULLY WE COULD USE THAT TO WORK WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH MANY OF THE ORGANIZATION GROUPS TO, TO ADVOCATE THAT OVER PULL PITS OR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.
I CAN EMAIL YOU, UH, THE NUMBERS FROM THE MOST RECENT FISCAL YEAR.
AND WE CAN, IF YOU WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THAT YEAH.
AND KIND OF DO SOME OUTREACH FOR US.
WE'RE, WE'RE MORE THAN WILLING.
ALSO, THE TEAM HAS, UM, USED GET ALARMED AS WELL.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER, UH, WE WENT TO A HOUSE THERE AND ACTUALLY INSTALLED SMOKE ALARMS IN ONE OF THE HOMES OF THE, UM, 1855 THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED.
[00:30:01]
QUICK.COUNCIL MEMBER MEMBER FLICKINGER.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I ACTUALLY WENT OUT TO A HOME WITH, UH, TWO OF THESE PEOPLE HERE ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO, I THINK.
AND, UH, IT WAS ONE OF THE FREQUENT FLYERS AND, UH, WAS, UM, A A LITTLE SHOCKED AT, UH, KIND OF THE LACK OF INITIATIVE THEY WERE TAKING TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES.
UH, SO I, I THINK THIS, THIS REALLY HELPS.
IT WAS ALSO, UH, THIS KIND OF STEMMED OUT OF A MEETING THAT I HAD WITH THE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, PROBABLY ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE THAT WHERE WE WERE INITIALLY LOOKING AT, UH, SOME EQUIPMENT THAT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN NASHVILLE WAS USING, UH, SOME SMALLER FIRE TRUCKS ON AN F SIX 50 CHASSIS, UH, RATHER THAN THE HUGE FIRE TRUCKS THAT WE'VE GOT.
AND THEY WERE ABLE TO SAVE MONEY WITH THAT.
AND THAT'S WHEN THEY STARTED TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE NUMBER OF LIFT ASSIST THAT THEY GO OUT TO.
AND THAT NUMBER WAS THROUGH THE ROOF.
UM, TO COUNCILMAN ALCORN'S POINT, A LOT OF IT WAS AT THESE SENIOR LIVING CENTERS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY DON'T WANT TO, UH, ACTUALLY LIFT UP THEIR CUSTOMER ESSENTIALLY THEMSELVES.
UM, SO, AND THEN I GUESS THEY ACTUALLY SAID THAT, UH, THERE'S CORPORATE DIRECTIVE FROM SOME OF THESE SENIOR SENATORS, SENIOR SENATORS NOT TO ACTUALLY ASSIST THESE PEOPLE, WHICH KIND OF BLOWS ME AWAY THAT THEY WOULD HAVE ONE OF THEIR RESIDENTS LYING ON THE FLOOR.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN CERTAINLY SEE IF THERE'S A MEDICAL REASON NOT TO LIFT THEM.
I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND IF, IF THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE AND THEY JUST NEED ASSISTANCE UP.
BUT YEAH, THEY WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE THE NUMBERS ON THAT AND, AND HOW MANY OF THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY ENDED UP NEEDING MEDICAL ATTENTION AFTERWARDS VERSUS HOW MANY OF THEM JUST NEEDED ASSISTANCE GETTING UP.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CERTAINLY SHOULD LOOK AT, UH, SOME KIND OF CHARGE FOR THAT, EVEN IF IT'S NOMINAL, UH, TO WHERE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE PEOPLE WILL TAKE A LITTLE INITIATIVE ON THEIR OWN TO GET BACK UP RATHER THAN HAVING THE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAVE TO COME OUT AND MAKE CALLS.
I THINK THIS WHOLE INITIATIVE IS FANTASTIC.
UH, IF, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE, WE'RE TAPPED WITH RESOURCES, UH, CONSTANTLY TRYING TO GET MORE RESOURCES.
I MEAN, IT'S BEEN A HUGE EFFORT WITH THE RECRUITING.
SO ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE THE VOLUME OBVIOUSLY IMPACTS THE DEMAND ON YOUR RESOURCES AS WELL.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND, AND PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
JUST TO CLARIFY, UM, NOTHING AGAINST NURSES, I'M A NURSE, BUT, UM, IN THE NURSING HOMES, IF A PATIENT FALLS, THEY DO NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE.
IT COULD BE A BRAIN BLEED THAT SUFFERED AND THEY CAN'T SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO THEY DO, THEY MAY NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL.
THEY ARE LIMITED IN WHAT THEY CAN DO AND WHAT THEY CAN SEE AT THEIR LEVEL.
SO IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT THEY WOULD TRANSPORT THE PATIENT OUT, BUT IT'S THE AMOUNT THAT EVERYBODY, SAME THING.
IT'S THE AMOUNT OF TIMES, THE HIGHER THE AMOUNT.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE NOT DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
HOWEVER, IT'S A BIGGER PROBLEM WITH MEDICAL ACROSS THE BOARD.
SO IT PUTS US IN A JUXTAPOSITION TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BEST SERVE THE COMMUNITY WHILE, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE OUR RESOURCES ARE STILL INTACT AND NOT HAVING TO GO INTO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT EVERY DAY.
SO IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE NOT DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO, THEY ARE SHORT STAFFED.
AND THAT'S WHY IT'D BE GREAT TO GET THE DATA AS TO HOW MANY OF THE LIFT ASSIST ACTUALLY REQUIRE MEDICAL TRANSPORT.
VICE CHAIR, JACKSON, THANK YOU, UM, CHAIR, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
UM, I THINK EVERY DEPARTMENT SHOULD HAVE NAVIGATORS, UM, NAVIGATING PEOPLE, CONNECTING PEOPLE TO RESOURCES.
SO I'M HAPPY TO HEAR, UM, THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING THIS.
UM, I WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO TIM, MISS TIM WHITE, DISTRICT B REPRESENTING.
YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER TO IT, BUT IT GOES INTO THE DATA.
UM, I KNOW HPD HAVE SIMILAR SITUATIONS TO WHERE THEY'RE GETTING FREQUENT CALLS AND THEY HAVE TO GO OUT TO A CALL AND THAT TAKES THEM AWAY FROM THE REAL WORK.
UM, AND SO AS YOU LOOK AT YOUR FREQUENT CALLERS, AND I KNOW WHEN PERSON CALLS 9 1 1, SOMETIME HPD HAVE TO, UM, SHOW UP TO SOME OF THESE CALLS.
AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE FREQUENT CALLS REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT TO SHOW UP.
AND SO, UM, I KNOW YOU DON'T, PROBABLY DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS, BUT JUST REALLY LOOK AT HOW IT'S IMPACTING, UM, OTHER DEPARTMENTS LIKE HPV.
[00:35:01]
THAT'S ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS IS SLOW RESPONSE WITH THEM, BUT THEY'RE DEALING WITH UNNECESSARY CALLS.AND SO, UM, YEAH, JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW THAT.
BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK AND YEAH, LOOKING FORWARD, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WE'LL LOOK INTO THAT AND GET BACK TO YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND ALL THE GREAT WORK YOU DO.
PURSE ALSO FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
UM, WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
WAS THERE ANYONE ELSE HERE THAT WANTED TO SPEAK? ALL RIGHT.
UM, OUR NEXT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING WILL BE ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH AT 10:00 AM WE STAND ADJOURN.