ANAHEIM FIRE & RESCUE’S COMMUNITY CARE RESPONSE UNIT IS FIRST IN CALIFORNIA
Pilot Program Delivers New Form of Emergency Medical Services to Anaheim Residents
ANAHEIM, Calif. (July 15, 2015) – Anaheim Fire & Rescue, in collaboration with local key leaders in emergency services, have launched a new pilot program: the Community Care Response Unit (CCRU). The first in California, the CCRU offers medical response to low-level, non-urgent emergency medical calls with an Anaheim Fire Captain/Paramedic and a certified Nurse Practitioner in place of the traditional paramedic engine/truck and ambulance response staffed with three or four fire personnel.
“The introduction of Anaheim’s Community Care Response Unit is a game-changer in the delivery of fire and emergency medical services in California,” said Anaheim Fire Chief Randy R. Bruegman. “Anaheim residents will receive high-quality medical care for low-level emergency medical calls, eliminating unnecessary transport and possible wait time in a hospital’s emergency department. For our agency, by sending the CCRU to pre-identified calls, we’ll be able to keep apparatus available for more acute medical or fire-related emergencies, increasing our response effectiveness and providing a more efficient use of our fire resources.” Continue reading