Regional groups and meetings

Formed in 1997, the EMS Advisory Committee (EMSAC) monitors the uniformity and consistency of the Medic One/EMS system. It consists of approximately 20 members representing all aspects of the EMS system and provides key counsel to the EMS Division regarding regional Medic One/EMS policies and practices in King County. Members convene on a quarterly basis to review implementation of the Strategic Plan as well as other proposals put forth, including Strategic Initiatives, consolidations and medic unit recommendations.

Budget and finance directors make up the EMS Advisory Committee (EMSAC) Financial Subcommittee, which advises EMSAC on fiscal and budget issues. Among other issues, the subcommittee reviews economic forecasts, proposed financial plans, requests for reserves, and policies/procedures.

The ALS Working Group is a forum for the region's five paramedic programs to share best practices and advice. While it initially began as a financial group, its scope has expanded to include discussion on operational needs, medic unit analyses, and clinical updates by the Medical Program Director, along with ongoing review of ALS costs.

For more information about the ALS Working Group, please contact Helen Chatalas with the King County EMS Division at 206-263-8560 or helen.chatalas@kingcounty.gov.

The BLS Working Group meets regularly to examine and develop policies related to providing BLS services and its seamless integration with ALS. Representing a broad range of regional providers of varying size, constituencies and needs, these partners identify opportunities to enhance the BLS system as a whole, while recognizing its members' separate funding sources and local decision making.

Since its inception in 2015, the group has collaboratively developed the BLS Core Services and the Training and Medical Quality Improvement Initiatives, programs that support and engage BLS agencies while improving overall system effectiveness.

TThe Dispatch Working Group (DWG) meets every other month with its partners to collaborate on ways to improve the crucial first component of the EMS system – the 9-1-1 call centers. Members of the DWG include representatives from each of the call centers supporting EMS in King County, EMS providers (fire departments), paramedic providers, and King County EMS. In addition to improving the system, the DWG looks at current topics, future planning, revising the King County Criteria Based Dispatch (CBD) Guidelines, and reviews calls and incidents that showcase the exceptional job our regional telecommunicators do on a daily basis.

The Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Network is a learning community for EMS agencies involved and interested in MIH. Convened by the King County EMS Division, MIH Network meetings bring together partners to ask questions, share lessons learned and best practices, and collaborate on all things MIH.

The ESO Oversight Committee meets quarterly to discuss topics and issues related to the use of the regionally used electronic health record system (ESO EHR) and health data exchange (ESO HDE). Representatives from BLS agencies, ALS programs, dispatch, hospital partners, and King County EMS Division meet to develop regional standards to inform best practices in the use of these systems to support quality improvement efforts to improve pre-hospital patient care.