(Washington, DC) Paramedics in DC are arriving more quickly and are getting seriously injured and ill patients to the hospital faster than at any other time in the city’s history, according to just-released statistics.

For the month of December, 2005, 83.4% of critical medical calls received Advanced Life Support (ALS) resources within eight minutes or less. This was the best recorded performance on this measure in the history of the Department and is evidence of the continued success of the Department’s strategic plan for improving the availability of ALS resources in the District of Columbia. Over the past three years (December 2002 to December 2005), the Department’s performance on this measure has improved by 23%. For critical medical calls during December 2005, the average response time for first arrival of fire apparatus (staffed by a minimum of EMTs) was 4:25 minutes, measured from dispatch-to-scene. The average response time for first arrival of paramedics was 5:55 minutes. The average response time for first arrival of a transport unit was 6:31 minutes. Overall, during the past year, ALS response time performance measured from call-to-scene improved by 13%, and transport unit response time performance measured from call-to-scene also improved by 13%.

“I’m very proud of the men and women who’ve worked so hard to realize this success,” said Fire/EMS Chief Adrian H. Thompson, who noted the agency’s goal is to achieve an ALS response time of under eight minutes at least 90% of the time, a national standard established by several groups interested in emergency medical services. “We have some work to do,” said Chief Thompson. “I’m confident our continued work will translate to even more impressive response times.”