Emergency services response to eCall System alerts: Observations from 2016-2022 in the National Fire and Rescue System.

OBJECTIVE: Analysis of interventions by fire protection units in road traffic incidents alerted by the eCall system between 2016 and 2022. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from the State Fire Service Decision Support System (SFS DSS), provided by the Operational Planning Office, were used. Events from January 1, 2016, 00:00 to December 31, 2022, 23:59 were analyzed. Quantitative data were described using mean (Mean) and standard deviation (SD). Correlations and differences at a significance level of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The analysis is anonymous for both victims and officers involved in the interventions. RESULTS: Between 2016 and 2022, firefighters were alerted by the e-call system 896 times. The shortest average intervention time was 47 ± 37 min and was recorded in 2021. In the comparative analysis of intervention time and factors conditioning the use of the eCall system, it was shown that this time was significantly statistically dependent on the number of cars involved in the incident (p < 0.001), the number of injured persons (p < 0.001), the type of intervention (p < 0.001),), and the occurrence of fuel leakage (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ECall is a relevant system for reporting accidents and collisions on the road. While it proves reliable in road incidents, a significantly high number of false alarms initiated from eCall requires system refinement to avoid accidental alarms and user education about the possibility of unintentionally sending an alarm signal. The authors predict that as the number of vehicles with the eCall system introduced to the roads increases, so will the number of notifications from this system. Data from the analysis of false reports suggest that mechanics and electricians in facilities performing repairs and maintenance of vehicles with the eCall system may lack the necessary knowledge of the need to deactivate the system before starting work. The number of injured people had no impact on the intervention time, which may prove that the rescue services were properly prepared.

Psychiatric conditions in the practice of National Emergency Medical Services teams in eastern Poland during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. / Stany psychiatryczne w praktyce zespolów Panstwowego Ratownictwa Medycznego we wschodniej Polsce w dobie pandemii SARS-CoV2.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic in Poland on the number of visits by National Medical Rescue teams to patients with mental disorders. METHODS: The study included a retrospective analysis of EMT departures from the Luków district (northern part of the Lublin province) in the two-year period 3.2019-2.2021 (one year before epidemic -period I, the year of the epidemic -period II). The material consisted of Departure Request Cards and Medical Rescue Cards. RESULTS: In 2-year period were 862 events that met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis, 442- period I and 420- period II, respectively. In both periods, men were analyzed more often (68.7% Pre-Pan; 71.1% Pan). Interventions were more frequent in cities (60.3% Pre-Pan; 60.7% Pan). The share of alcohol and psychoactive substances as a cause of EMS interventions in psychiatric conditions was higher in pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: 1. The COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant impact on the number of EMS interventions related to mental disorders in the area covered by the analysis 2. The average duration of EMS interventions to psychiatric conditions slightly increased during the epidemic period 3. Both in the period before and during the pandemic, in the interventions covered by the analysis, men were much more likely to be EMT patients 4. The age of the patients included in the analysis did not change significantly before and during the pandemic 5. Events caused by alcohol abuse and exacerbations of schizophrenia symptoms both before and during the pandemic have the largest share in the analysis.

Accidents rate of the Polish State Fire Service officers during service in the years 2015-2022.

BACKGROUND: The profession of a firefighter is fraught with a significant risk of injuries. Firefighters operate in hazardous zones to mitigate threats and combat fires. Aim of work is to evaluate the accident rate of the officers of the Polish State Fire Service in connection with their service, considering direct participation in rescue operations, and other official duties between the years 2015-2022. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An 8-year analysis was conducted from reports covered the number of accidents, the number of injured firefighters, the age of the officers, the circumstances of the event, and the type and location of the injury. This includes fire and rescue operations, exercises, training, official trips, sports activities, and technical work related to equipment. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2022, there were 12 588 individual and group accidents in various circumstances. Most firefighter accidents occurred during rescue and firefighting operations, as well as during sports activities which dominate as the cause of injuries among firefighters in the observed period (37.8%), and injuries related to rescue and fire-fighting activities constitute 28.5%. Other work activities of firefighters cause 33.7% of injuries. In 2020 was a clear reduction in the number of accidents per 1000 employed firefighters in each observed parameter (total, interventions, sport) while maintaining the average level of firefighter employment (M±SD 30 099±224). CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent circumstances of injury are slippery and challenging spaces, surfaces, and carelessness. The most common type of body injury is a dislocation and sprain concerning the ankle joint, foot. The most frequent causes of work-related injuries for firefighters, as the results indicate, are participation in team sports and fire-fighting and rescue operations. The most commonly occurring medical consequences resulting from a firefighter's injury are fractures, sprains, and contusions of various body areas. Firefighters are most burdened with injuries in the age group 26-35 years old. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2023;74(6):469-77.

Sports-related injuries sustained by officers of the State Fire Service on duty - nationwide 7-year follow-up.

Aim: The accident rate in the State Fire Service from 2015 to 2021 related to sports activities was analyzed in relation to the regions of the country per year. Materials and methods: The study included analysis of data from the SFS Headquarters - Department for Occupational Health and Safety and Preventive Health. Data collected from across the country in the form of an annual analysis of the accident. The reports included such information as: the number of accidents, the cause and circumstances of accident (injury), with a breakdown listing individual and group accidents. Results: During the observation period, about 30,000 officers were on duty in the SFS, of which about 20% were on daily (8-h) duty, and 80% were on shift (24-h) duty. Between 2015 and 2021, there were N = 11,332 (Mean: 1617.4; SD: 284.1) accidents in SFS. Total accident covers individual and mass accidents. The number of sports injuries was N = 4,254 (Mean: 532.2; SD: 137.9). Conclusion: There is a need for comprehensive approach to physical training in the firefighter population. Physical activity should be continuous and systematic strengthening of the whole body. Sports activities should begin with performing thorough warm-ups. It is necessary to maintain facilities, premises, equipment and technical devices in a condition that sets the ground for doing sports safely and in a hygienic manner. Most of the sports injuries sustained by firefighters are related to team sports.

Performance of portable emergency suction devices in pre-hospital conditions: a pilot study in the fire brigade.

A i m: Assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of three mobile (portable) rescue aspirators models in the opinion of state fire service officers. Comparison with the use of the medical simulation element. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted in organizational units of the State Fire Service (24-hour officers). The research consisted in carrying out the task with the use of three models of mobile rescue aspirators (manual, hand-foot, battery). Each participating firefighter had the task of sucking up an equal amount of fluid (100 ml, respectively) with each model of an aspirator. The test fluid was water at room temperature in a homogeneous 1:1 mixture with sugar (increased viscosity and density, simulated real conditions). Immediately after three suction attempts (with measured suction time), each officer completed a questionnaire on the three models used. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the variables. The following measures were calculated for the variables: mean (M) and standard deviation (SD), minimum, maximum. The following measures were calculated for categorical variables: number (n) and frequency (%). RESULTS: 184 officers (182 M and 2 F) took part in the study, including commanders 18.43%, rescuers 65.22%, drivers 16.30%. In the study area 1,609 officers serve in the combat division as at the end of 2021. The studied group accounts for 11.43%. Age of respondents M 34.04 SD 8.24 Min 21 Max 52, length of service M 8.48, SD 7.20 Min 1, Max 25. The longest mean time of completing the task was recorded for model 2 (hand-foot) and it was 6.77 sec. CONCLUSIONS: SFS officers highly appreciated the usefulness and effectiveness of the battery-operated automatic aspirator. This assessment may contribute to the widespread introduction of such a model to rescue sets in the SFS. Time of performing the task by mode 1 was significantly longer by elderly people. People with experience with the model 1 during rescue and firefighting operations had a significantly shorter time of performing the task with the use of the model 2. According to the subjective assessment of firefighters, the most effective is model 3, which is confirmed by the suction time obtained at the work station.

Long-term Development of Fibrosarcoma in the Practice of Emergency Medical Teams: a Case Report.

Fibrosarcoma is a relatively rapidly growing, poorly delineated spindle cell tumour. It has generally good prognosis and rarely metastasizes. Soft tissue sarcomas account for less than 1% of all malignancies in adults. High rates of sarcomas are, for example, seen in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex. This paper presents the case of a patient with knee joint destruction caused by a fibrosarcoma, on account of which an emergency medical team was summoned several times. We present data from three medical rescue team interventions to a patient with a tumour in the left lower leg. The data was obtained from the documentation generated during the interventions: dispatch order record (DOR) and medical emergency treatment report (METR). The patient had a history of the following chronic diseases (ICD-10): E11.8, I50.9, I10, and M15. Two interventions involved patient transportation to a hospital, whereas the third intervention was completed in the patient's home. The fibrosarcoma caused only slight pain. Frequent bleeding from an open cancerous wound was the main problem in this patient. Difficulty in wound healing could have been related to complications of diabetes mellitus and the patients advanced age.

Geriatric patient in the practice of emergency medical teams - observation in 2020-2022.

Purpose: Analysis of interventions of medical rescue teams for geriatric patients in a three-year period, taking into account the causes, circumstances, medical management, pharmacology. Materials and methods: The study included a 3-year retrospective analysis of the trips of medical rescue teams in the northern part of the Lubelskie Voivodeship in the period from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022. The data comes from medical documentation. Interventions caused by a health risk in a patient in the 90+ age group were qualified as events. 897 EMT interventions were qualified (2020-327, 2021-269, 2022-301) constituting 4.29% of all interventions carried out in the operational area. In addition, a quantitative analysis of a comparative group of patients aged 80-89 was performed. Results: It was shown that the time of rescue activities was the longest for injuries and the shortest for mental disorders (60 ± 31 vs. 43 ± 21 min). It was shown that specialist EMT teams (S) were statistically significantly more often called for cardiology disorders (63%). It was shown that pharmacological agents were used statistically significantly more often in respiratory disorders (83%) compared to neurology disorders (47%, p < 0.001). It was also shown that patients whose call was caused by neurology disorders were statistically more often transported to the emergency department (N = 76, 76%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The causes of calls regarding disorders of the circulatory and respiratory systems most often require the implementation of pharmacology during EMT interventions, mainly short-term and symptomatic drugs. Interventions to rural areas dominate in the presented analysis in each year of the analysis and in each group of reasons for calls, which may be associated with more difficult access to a primary care physician. Most EMT interventions concern exacerbation of chronic diseases. Transport to the hospital was necessary mainly due to neurological and traumatic calls.