CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY SECOND COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. C/S R-16-69 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Patrick Davis
RESOLUTION
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C/S Establishing A Basic Life Support Rescue Program And Protocols For Fire Basic Life Support Rescue Units To Provide First-Responder Services For Non-Life Threatening Medical Calls, Including Persons Suffering From Intoxication And Substance Abuse In Public Places; Making An Appropriation (Davis)
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ESTABLISHING A BASIC LIFE SUPPORT RESCUE PROGRAM AND PROTOCOLS FOR FIRE BASIC LIFE SUPPORT RESCUE UNITS TO PROVIDE FIRST-RESPONDER SERVICES FOR NON-LIFE THREATENING MEDICAL CALLS, INCLUDING PERSONS SUFFERING FROM INTOXICATION AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN PUBLIC PLACES; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.
WHEREAS, the Albuquerque Police Department exists to prevent and respond to crimes; and the Albuquerque Fire Department exists to save lives by providing lifesaving medical services and firefighting services; and
WHEREAS, being under the influence of self-induced intoxicants is not a crime in the City of Albuquerque; and persons suffering from public intoxication may require basic first aid and transportation for detoxification but do not routinely require a full life saving medical response; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, The Albuquerque Police Department and Fire Department jointly responded to more than 15,000 calls, 41 per day, for medical assistance for persons suffering from substance abuse in public places, sometimes referred to as “down and out” calls; and
WHEREAS, “down and out” calls account for 15% of total calls for the Fire Department and also require the equivalent of three full-time police officers per day to respond to these calls; and
WHEREAS, the Albuquerque Police and Fire Departments currently respond to these calls as a “Priority 1,” in the same category as crimes of violence in progress, or life-threatening medical emergencies, responding with full lights and sirens in an expedited manner, and spend, on average, nearly 45 minutes per call; and
WHEREAS, the Albuquerque Fire Department currently responds to these calls with full fire and ambulance services, making these highly-trained firefighters and medical personnel unavailable for life-threatening emergencies; and the medical response required for the majority of these calls, currently provided by full AFD fire and rescue units, could be facilitated by persons with basic medical training; and
WHEREAS, the Albuquerque Police Department is currently understaffed and responses to medical calls divert officers from responding to calls for crimes in progress or community policing activities.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. The Albuquerque Fire Department is authorized to establish a pilot Basic Life Support (BLS) - Rescue Program to respond to non-life threatening “down and out” calls for service.
Section 2. The Chiefs of the Police and Fire Departments shall establish policies adjusting response protocols to eliminate Priority 1 responses as the default response to “down and out” calls for service, where:
a.) A BLS Rescue Unit is available to respond, triage and provide aide in a reasonable amount of time, and
b.) When there is no indication that a person needing medical assistance has been the victim of a crime or may require advanced medical assistance.
Section 3. Nothing in this resolution shall be interpreted to prevent a police officer, firefighter, EMT or paramedic from initiating a welfare check on any person he/she observes who may require medical assistance. Nor shall any supervisor of the Police or Fire Departments be prohibited from directing staff under his/her direction to calls for service as he/she otherwise deems necessary.
Section 4. The Fire Chief shall report to the City Council on progress implementing this program at the end of the second quarter of FY17 and at the end of FY17.
Section 5. The Fire Chief is authorized to expend up to $100,000 of existing Fire Department funds for the purchase of supplies and equipment necessary to carry out the purposes of this Resolution, subject to availability.
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