WOEMS What to Expect

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What to expect when the ambulance arrives

1. When the ambulance arrives please try to have a door open or a light on outside for the crew.

2. If there is snow on the ground, please insure a safe passage to your door or garage.

3. Chances are the crew will be bringing in a very large stretcher. Please help to make sure any extra furniture is moved out of the way (Providing extra family or neighbors are present).

4. The crew will begin to ask the patient or family members certain questions about the medical crisis you may be experiencing. These questions would include: Name, Address, SSN, Medical History, Medications, Allergies. The crew will also check your vital signs with a Blood Pressure Cuff, Stethescope and a Pulse Oximeter. Certain calls may warrant the use of a Heart Monitor.

5. The Crew will make every attempt to take you to the hospital of your choosing. However there may at times be certain extreme circumstances that may prevent us from taking you to the hospital of your choosing. Such as Weather or Hospital Code Status.

Hospital Code Status

Prior to taking you to the hospital, the crew will call Allegheny County 911 to check the code status of the hospital. Below is a listing of what each color represents.

Condition	Explanation
Green:	The Emergency Department is open with no restrictions.
Yellow:	The Emergency Department is busy but not overwhelmed. Patients presenting to the Emergency Department via EMS may experience significant delays in treatment due to the current volume and/or acuity of patients already in the Emergency Department. EMS personnel should inform the patient of this situation and consider transporting the patient to another facility if the patient consents. This condition automatically terminates in 4 hours unless renewed.
Red:	All of the usually available resources in the Emergency Department are overwhelmed such that receipt of additional patients will result in the inability to care for them safely. Patients may not be brought to the Emergency Department unless EMS personnel perceive the patient to be suffering from an immediately life-threatening illness or injury. This condition automatically terminates in 2 hours unless renewed.
Black:	A hospital/facility may be reported in "Condition Black" when an emergency situation or catastrophic event exists that renders the entire facility as being unsafe. Examples of such events include but are not limited to: Fire, explosion, bomb threat, gun fire, nuclear/biological/chemical incidents, etc. No patients shall be transported to facilities that are reported as in "CONDITION BLACK"
Closed:	A hospital/facility no longer maintains an appropriate receiving department for EMS.