In 2016, Dutchess County established an EMS Task Force to study the current state of, and to provide
recommendations for improvement in the delivery of EMS. The task force was charged with evaluating the current state of EMS services in Dutchess County, while identifying, developing, and recommending county coordinated solutions for an EMS system that is Patient Centered, Consistent, Reliable, Affordable, and Sustainable. The EMS Task Force report is available for viewing in its entirety as Attachment A to this RFP.
The EMS Task Force identified that EMS in the county is severely strained with some communities
experiencing lengthy response times, reduced levels of care, and in some cases, local services no longer exist or cannot respond, even if they appear on paper that they can. A multitude of providers, volunteer fire departments, career fire departments, volunteer ambulance corporations, and commercial EMS agencies deliver EMS in Dutchess County. They vary in level of care from Basic Life Support Services (BLS) to Advanced Life Support Services (ALS). Some fire districts have contracts with commercial providers to provide ALS Services to assist their BLS Services or use them as their primary response agency.
As a result, the EMS Task Force has made several recommendations, which includes the development of an Emergency Services Authority and the Citizens Advisory Committee on EMS. To address the myriad of issues within the county’s current delivery of EMS, we are seeking a consultant to evaluate and provide a report detailing the steps necessary to create an EmergencyServices Authority. The objective of the authority would be to provide a coordinated solution for the delivery of EMS among its members that is Patient Centered, Consistent, Reliable, Affordable, and Sustainable and could include individual agencies and local municipalities
