Best Practices for Developing EMS/Fire Partnerships

When an older adult falls and needs help getting up, emergency medical services (EMS) and fire departments are often the first to arrive at the scene. Among people aged 65 years and older, falls are the leading cause of emergency department visits and account for 17% of all 911 calls. Up to 56% of 911 calls for falls do not result in transport to a medical facility. The use of EMS for falls-related calls has heavy financial consequences to communities and decrease the availability of EMS to respond to more urgent needs. As a trusted source of information, firefighters and EMS can have a key role in falls prevention efforts, including addressing home hazards to referring older adults to falls prevention programs and services.   

Hosted by the National Council on Aging and the Administration for Community Living, this webinar series will feature organizations who have successfully partnered with their local EMS and fire department to address falls prevention. Speakers will share best practices and lessons learned based on their experience partnering with EMS and fire departments around falls prevention. Learn new skills and gain innovative ideas around falls prevention efforts that can be adapted and applied in your own community to bridge the fire and falls prevention network.   

Learning Objectives: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to: 

1. Describe the Remembering When^TM Plus program 

1. Identify the process for developing an infrastructure to actively refer older adults to falls prevention programs in their communities. 

1. Compose workflow plans and referral tools for disparate organizations and communication systems.