During the more than 25 years Largo Fire Rescue Chief Chad Pittman has been a first responder, he has heard the topic of priority dispatching come and go several times.
Concerns about call volume have mounted, however. So, after about three years of discussions and research, Pittman said several Pinellas County fire departments are finally willing to give it a try and forging ahead with a plan that would change the way calls are dispatched and could drastically reduce the workload of departments already stretched thin.
If implemented in the next couple of months, Pittman said the ALS Growth Management Agreement between agencies and the county EMS Authority would eliminate the need for fire departments to respond to approximately 12,500 minor calls for falls or sick persons systemwide, instead sending only a Sunstar Paramedics ambulance.