The Staff of Milford Ambulance Service (2007)
The Milford Ambulance Department is responsible for the delivery of emergency pre-hospitalmedical care for the town 24-hours day, seven days a week. In 2010 this required 34,944 hours ofshift coverage. That same year the department responded to 1,352 calls for medical aid. Current department staffing is comprised of 35 volunteers, 6 full-time and 15 per-diem employees who arec ertified at the EMT-Basic, Intermediate or Paramedic level, and provide Basic or Advanced LifeSupport care.
Milford Ambulance was established in 1974 to serve the people of Milford. The initial all-volunteer department began operations out of the Department of Public Works (DPW) garage on Bridge Street with 2 ambulances and 22 volunteers certified at the First Responder and newly created EMT-Basic level. In that year they responded to 344 calls. Since then call volume has nearly quadrupled, alongwith a doubling of staff size to accommodate for the delivery of Advanced Life Support patient care. In 1988 the department received authorization to staff 2 full-time employees for weekday coverage due to a lack of volunteers available during weekdays. In mid-1993 the department began providing Paramedic level coverage that continues through today. Milford Ambulance has been in its present location in Town Hall since 1975.
Existing Ambulance Facility Deficiencies
- Existing ambulance garage limited to two vehicles that house the department’s two 8- and 12-year old ambulances
- Replacement ambulances of similar style are larger in width and height and will not fit in the existing garage which cannot be modified
- Lack of garage storage for 2 Paramedic Response Vehicles (PRVs)
- Department vehicles cannot be washed or rinsed in the ambulance garage due to inadequate storm water drainage as regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency
- Current ambulance garage does not have, nor can it be retrofitted with a vehicle exhaust extraction system to remove exhaust fumes
- Inappropriate areas for secure information storage
- Insufficient space for equipment storage
- Training space that does not allow for full member attendance
- Lack of dedicated parking for staff
- Inadequate dormitory space for 24/7 operations
- Limited shower space for staff and inadequate locker rooms to store personal belongings and clothes
- No dedicated space for decontamination of clothing and gear and to house laundry facilities
Inadequate Parking
Milford Ambulance Service is limited to 5 vehicles of which one is dedicated to the department PRV. The Milford Fire Department is limited to 15 vehicles. Frequent parking is need for 50+ vehicles during department operations, functions and training.
Training Rooms and Storage
Milford Ambulance Service has seating limited to 16 individuals, is shared with another office and serves as access to the elevator for the lower floor of the Town Hall. With over 30 members an alternate location must be used for department meetings, training and group incident review.
Milford Ambulance meeting rooms are unable to provide adequate space for full department training are inadequate for audio/visual equipment set-up. In addition there is limited storage that is scattered in several areas of the Town Hall and other off-site locations. The facility lacks adequate non-secure storage areas for supplies and equipment in addition to adequate secure storage for mandatory protection of confidential information including patient medical records, patient billing records, personnel information and investigation files.
Dormitory and Locker Rooms
Currently there is inadequate dormitory space to accommodate employees for 24/7 operations. This also includes inadequate locker rooms for staff to shower and store personal belongings and clothing. The lack of proper dormitory and locker room space also impacts recruitment of non-resident volunteer and paid staff.
Decontamination Room
Milford Ambulance’s facility does not offer dedicated decontamination and equipment cleaning space and is currently limited to cleaning small items in interior common space while large equipment needs to be cleaned outside.