Denver paramedic ambulances

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Scandude65

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Noticed they have a few radio antennas on the back of there rigs, I thought they only have one radio which is the house and 2 portables ? Do they have more radios ?
 

jimmnn

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No DTRS, these are Denver ambulances folks and no different radio to talk with the hospital that's done mostly on cellular and rarely an EDACS TG like ER 1 or 2.

Interesting all the out of state input.

Could the antennas your seeing be for there MDT's.

Jim<
 

PJH

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Denver units (Public safety systems) are setup with three radios - typically voice, MDT and I've seen wifi (for updating at stations). I do not know the specifics as I have not asked but have been told as such by those operating in Denver.

Running mutual aid, it is very possible that a DTRS radio could be installed to talk with mutual aid partners sans the "color" channels but that's just speculation based on operational experience.

My last ambulance had every band from lowband to 800 just for that fact alone.

EMS to hospital via cellphone is typically discouraged due to (general) lack of voice recording. My last agency (out of state - and we ran to two other states mutual aid) was also prohibited by state or local EMS rules.
 

kc0kp

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Jim is right.
The protocol in Denver is cell phones for Hipaa compliance. There is no DTRS, no VHF, no UHF and no company radio (since they are a quasi-governmental agency).
They do have MDTs and vehicle locating GPS. .
 

PJH

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Cellphones are not required for HIP compliance. That rumor had been around as long as the act. (There are a bunch of misconceptions reguarding EMS and 911 services with this). This does not prevent the local EMS governance to require or ask for other means (and those EMS committees are typically made up by the hospitals and local providers) to limit or require other forms of communications, security or whatnot.

It is very common throughout the US to use the radio to call in radio reports to the hospitals...

**After the act was passed, many 911 centers would refuse to give EMS or other responders the name of the caller or the registered name of a property thinking that it would violate the act. HHS had to clairify that it was ok to do that. 99% of the act is all about insurance and not releasing patient information to other 3rd but never restricted means to getting someone help in the first responder system.

One can google part of the act on the HHS website on the subject but a quick summary is:

Myth No. 1: Dispatch centers can't give out any identifiable information over the radio.

Fact: HIPAA doesn't prevent dispatch centers from communicating all information necessary for EMS response and treatment to EMS agencies. While patient names shouldn't be given out unless truly necessary, a dispatch center may transmit any information necessary to facilitate the EMS treatment of a patient.

Myth No. 2: Ambulance services are violating HIPAA if they give patient information to the hospital over the radio.

Fact: HIPAA permits any and all treatment-related disclosures of patient information between health care providers. Ambulances are freely permitted to give patient information to hospitals over the radio for treatment purposes.

Myth No. 3: Dispatch centers must convert all communications equipment to digital or institute new privacy technologies so that people with scanners can no longer hear radio dispatches.

Fact: HIPAA does not prohibit dispatch centers from communicating with ambulance services, which is necessary for response and patient treatment, even though everyone in "scannerland" can listen in! These are called "incidental disclosures" under HIPAA, meaning they are legitimate disclosures with unavoidable side-effects, and are permissible under HIPAA.

Not my work, but its pretty much what the act says.
 
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datainmotion

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GPS antennas were on the dashboard and MDC antennas (Larsen low-profile black cellular) were on the front corner of rear box. Both of those fed a dock in the rear of the unit. However, neither of those were ever used past the evals.
 
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Biophone via cell phone is very much recorded at every hospital in the Metro area, with no know issues . Most of the raidos that are set up in the ambulances can do both EDACS and DTRS and do get used that way frequently. each member of the crew is also issued a HT.

Whiterabbit_medic
 

Scandude65

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Denver Paramedics Question

Listening to the scanner the other night and heard a Code 19 from one of the Paramedic dispatchers, I wondered what a Code 19 is ?

Also, what model of radios do they have in the ambulances, just curious what models they use ?

Will Denver Paramedics ever start using GPS in there rigs? I was wondering how they get the directions to where they need to go? I think only DPD has GPS in there cars and dispatchers can see where they are but I don't assume DG has that ability. It would be nice if they would get it, better response times.
 

Opsin

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19 = some type of infectious disease
Don't know what kind of radios they use

GPS is in ambulances for dispatchers to track cars (no MDTs), knowledge of city streets is required to a very high degree and map books are very rarely needed or used. Hard copies are available, however expectation and reality is most get places by memorization and knowledge, rotations, access, and route(s). MDTs are not necessarily that fast or accurate, and at times reliability is poor. Things like system demand, traffic load on city streets, weather, and construction seem to be a big problem.
 

jimmnn

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Remember they remain the only system in the state to do full System Status Management (SSM) posting at all times, no stations so that aids faster response times more than any GPS system would also the national data does not prove faster ALS response times improve surival it's BLS response times that are cruIcial and Denver has an excellent tiered response system with DFD closest unit being dispatched on all code 10 calls,

Jim
 

kc0kp

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GPS is not substitute for street knowledge. Every paramedic at Denver Health will beat you and your GPS to every address in Denver. Every Denver Health dispatcher will know where every address in the city is at before you enter in your GPS. And that is with CAD down and inoperable.
Nothing beats experience.
As for radios, they are using a variety of Harris radios, M7300, P7300 and XG75s among them.
 

Scandude65

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A while back Denver Health responded to my address and the paramedics did not know where my street was located. Also, upon leaving my residence she did not know how to get back onto Monaco and I had to provide her directions while riding with them. So, some of them do not know where every street is I assume and that is why I thought GPS would be handy for them and having MDTs in the ambulances. But I guess Denver is not that sophisticated as of yet like Rural Metro in Aurora or South Metro Fire Rescue's.
 
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dw2872

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A while back Denver Health responded to my address and the paramedics did not know where my street was located. Also, upon leaving my residence she did not know how to get back onto Monaco and I had to provide her directions while riding with them. So, some of them do not know where every street is I assume and that is why I thought GPS would be handy for them and having MDTs in the ambulances. But I guess Denver is not that sophisticated as of yet like Rural Metro in Aurora or South Metro Fire Rescue's.

I would like to verify your account of what happened. It will be fairly easy for me. All I need is a date and approximate time of day. A street name would probably help too.
 
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Scandude65

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That would not be necessary, it happened a year ago and it was no big deal plus I do not feel comfortable providing my street name to someone online but thank you.
 

Scandude65

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All I did was provide the lady directions to get out of our neighborhood while riding along with my mom to the hospital, no big deal . Just pointing out that I was asked because she was not familiar with the neighborhood.
 
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