Exclusive: 911 teams to get new vehicles

The hospital’s entire ambulance fleet will be replaced within the next six months, the Bermuda Sun can reveal.

The news follows an inquest in England last week — the second into the death of Norman Palmer in Bermuda in 2008 — where the spotlight fell on the response of ambulance crews.

The initial Bermudian inquest into Mr Palmer’s death prompted Coroner Khamisi Tokunbo to suggest hospital bosses review ambulance operating procedures to see if any improvements could be made.

And last week East Somerset Coroner, Tony Williams, said he would write to the hospital on behalf of Mr Palmer’s family to see if the Bermudian coroner’s words had been acted on.

A Bermuda Hospital’s Board(BHB) spokesperson told the Bermuda Sun that systems had been improved since the recommendations made by Coroner Tokunbo.

And the spokesperson said that ‘manoeuvrability and turning radius statistics’ would be taken into consideration when the new ambulances are brought into service.

Four brand new ambulances are expected to be brought in the beginning of 2014 from either the US, Canada or Europe. 

Limited manoeuvrability

The spokesperson added: “The maneuverability of KEMH’s ambulances will always be limited by Bermuda’s older, unimproved roads, which were designed for horse and buggy transport and remain unsuitable for easy access by modern emergency services vehicles.

“BHB has traditionally purchased the smallest “full-sized” ambulances available from the US market to accommodate our narrow roads and uses vehicles smaller than those of Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) “first responders.”

“BHB’s existing fleet of ambulances [there are four, plus a Mass casualty Response Vehicle] ambulances is nearing the end of its useful life and as a normal part of doing business, we are replacing the fleet in order to maintain a reliable ambulance
service.

“BHB’s criteria for selecting the vehicles includes design specifications that reflect the challenging conditions of Bermuda’s roads, while meeting the clinical requirements of the service.

“BHB has a robust procurement policy that requires a fair, tendering process, which has only just commenced.”

The initial Bermudian inquest into Mr Palmer’s death found that it took the ambulance around seven minutes from the time of the 911 call to reach his Paget home.

It then took a further 16 minutes for the crew to treat and transport him to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

At that time Coroner Tokunbo noted that there was ‘some difficulty’ with the ambulance driver locating the Palmer home and maneuvering the ambulance from a main road onto their lane and into their driveway.

But he found that the EMTs ‘did all that was reasonably expected of them’.

The coroner did however suggest that the relevant authorities should review and consider what, if any, improvements could be made to; how ambulance crew are guided to their destinations; the manoeuvrability of the current fleet and communication between 911 dispatchers and responders.

A hospital spokesperson told the Bermuda Sun steps had been taken to improve standard operating procedures.

The spokesperson added: “Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) at BFRS headquarters in Hamilton are responsible for collecting information from 911 calls and directing both BF&RS and KEMH vehicles to the correct location.

“Since this recommendation (by Mr Tokunbo) was made, EMD has introduced Computer Assisted Dispatch linked to a Global Positioning System to better identify the location of the caller, as well as the best routes of approach for Emergency Medical Services responders.

“KEMH Emergency managers and EMT representatives meet monthly with representatives from the BF&RS, EMD, Bermuda Police Service and Marine Rescue Coordination Center in an effort to improve communications between 911 dispatchers and responders.

“The Standard Operating Procedures for 911 Dispatch in Bermuda are currently being revised by representatives from this group.”