Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Reaping the Benefits of Reliable Technology

We are fortunate to hear first-hand stories from our public safety customers outlining how vital reliable technology has become to their jobs.  In the case of Castle Rock (CO) Fire and Rescue, a package of reliable hardware and software greatly lessened the burden on its EMTs and paramedics.

Check out Castle Rock’s story after the jump, and we also welcome any experiences you’d like to share with us.

How Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Uses the Toughbook 30 and High Plains ePCR software to streamline processes

The Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department protects the lives and property of 51,000 Colorado residents. In 2002, Castle Rock decided to ease the burden on its EMTs and paramedics by upgrading their emergency call documentation system.

Prior to the technology upgrade, its paramedics relied on pen and paper notes that had to be transcribed on computers back at their station. This system presented significant challenges, such as incomplete information due to the difficulty of recalling every detail of a patient’s care.

A Winning Combination

Castle Rock began addressing these challenges by equipping their medic vehicles with fully-rugged Panasonic Toughbook® 30 mobile computers loaded with ePCR software from High Plains Information Systems.

The Toughbook 30 protects precious data with a magnesium alloy case and shock-mounted hard drive. The daylight-readable touchscreen and embedded mobile broadband capabilities also make it easy for EMTs and paramedics to file their reports from anywhere, at any time.

High Plains Information Systems provides a complete, fully-integrated fire records management system (RMS) that addresses nearly every aspect of a fire department’s operation, from incident and patient care reporting to scheduling and payroll.

Norris Croom, Division Chief of Operations at Castle Rock Fire and Rescue, has noticed a vast improvement in efficiency since implementing the solutions. “Prior to this procedure, it was taking 25-30 minutes after they returned to complete paperwork, and now it takes just a couple of minutes to wirelessly upload a report,” said Croom. “We are saving approximately 20 minutes per emergency call, and with more than 2,000 EMS calls per year, that time definitely adds up.”

Helping Every Touchpoint in the Healthcare System

The streamlined process has also increased efficiency at Sky Ridge Medical Center, the primary hospital receiving Castle Rock’s patients. Paramedics can easily create a detailed patient care report from their emergency vehicle while en route.

“From a legal perspective, if it wasn’t recorded, it didn’t happen,” said Dr. Steve Heinz, Physician Advisor for Castle Rock Fire and Rescue at Sky Ridge. “This system helps us streamline our process, eliminate errors and deliver the best possible overall care to patients.”

To read more about Castle Rock Fire and Rescue’s deployment, click here.