Grady EMS

Grady EMS is a high volume high-volume hospital based EMS service in Atlanta, Georgia. Serving nearly 500,000 persons over 132 square miles, Grady EMS responded to over 92,000 calls for service in the year 2005. They are a System Status Management (SSM) practicing agency that prides itself on superior clinical skills, safe and rapid response, and maintaining the Hospital wide mission of care for the indigent and under privileged.

Grady EMS has a fleet of 35 Ambulances, 3 supervisory vehicles, 1 Medical Director's, and 1 Operations Director's vehicle. There are over 280 street level personnel, and many other support personnel including Logistics, Billing, Training, QA/QI, Management, Scheduling, and Dispatching. All units are ALS equipped with Lifepack 12 Monitor/Defibrillators, handheld Pulse Oximetry, S-Scort portable suction, KED, pediatric and adult traction splints, scoop stretchers, dedicated adult and pediatric immobilization supplies, and a full complement of ACLS medications. Grady EMS is in the process of phasing out all Type III units by remounting the patient compartments onto Ford F-350 type I chassis. All of the newer remounts (since 6/06) are equipped with and air-ride suspension for a smoother ride and enhanced patient comfort. All units have a two number (support/management) or three unit (ambulances) id number on the lower rear corners of the module that is always an even number.

Operations
Ambulances are numbered from 7182 to 7262, and support vehicles are numbered 7070 medical director's expedition, 7082 supervisor's F250, 7086 operations director's explorer, 7088 supervisor's explorer, 7096 supervisor's F250, and 7100 field supply/first response E250 van staffed by extra crew members when available. Units 7071, 7072, 7073, 7074 are Bike Team members that are staffed for special events. Unit 7240 is a dedicated Special Operations response unit staffed by a consistent specially trained crew. They are responsible for all of the Center for Disease Control's high-risk and hazardous materials transports. Most recently they were responsible for the transport of TB patient Andrew Speaker on May 30th, 2007.

Dispatching
Dispatching is provided in-house by Grady EMS staff who receive 911 calls from the City of Atlanta 911 center. All dispatchers and call-takers are EMD certified and many are also EMTs or Paramedics as well. Call-takers receive the call from City of Atlanta PSAP (public safety answering point), triage the call, determine if Atlanta Fire Department response is warranted, confirm call information and forward information live via computer to dispatchers. Prior to 6/07 Grady EMS was responsible only for their dispatching, call-taking responsibilities were handled by Fulton County Communications Center, since the transition, response times have decreased according to Noah Reiter, Operations Director.

Medical Direction
Medical Direction for the all ALS service is provided by a team of doctors lead by Dr. Eric Ossman, and operate under the "Fulton County Emergency Medical Services Clinical Care Guidelines" that all Fire/EMS agencies in Fulton County operate under.

Grady EMS in the news
Being involved in a news-making call is a near daily occurrence for the crews of Grady EMS, some higher profile incidents are listed here:

I-75 Bluffton University Bus Crash: March 2, 2007. Grady EMS triaged 35 patients with 7 fatalities and transported 29 patients (one later died of injuries) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluffton_University_bus_accident

Fatal ambulance wreck with Atlanta Police Officer: July 21 2006. While both units were responding to a reported double shooting, were travelling at a high rate of speed and collided at Hank Aaron Drive and Milton Ave. Officer Peter Faatz received critical injures and was hospitalized at Grady Memorial before succumbing to his injuries on August 4th. http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=82893

Fulton County Courthouse Shootings March 11th, 2005. Brain Nichols, allegedly shot Judge Rowland Barnes, Court Reporter Julie Brandeau, and Deputy Sheriff Hoyt Teasly, and also is the suspect in the killing of U.S. Customs Agent David Wilhelm on March 12th, 2005. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Nichols

Atlanta Thrasher's Danny Heatley's Fatal Accident September 29, 2003 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dany_Heatley#Vehicular_homicide

Nikki Taylor's near fatal traffic accident April 29, 2001 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Taylor#Health_struggles

Centennial Olympic Park Bombing July 27, 1996 Resulted in two fatalities, and 111 injuries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Olympic_Park_bombing