EMS Quality Improvement Initiative

The San Francisco Fire Department EMS Division is committed to continuous evaluation and improvement of the process we use to provide quality emergency medical care.  The EMS Division treats all clinical review with confidentiality and respect, with the goal of improving communication and team work with field practitioners and receiving hospitals.

The San Francisco Fire Department EMS Division, under the guidance of the Department’s Medical Director, oversees and manages the delivery of emergency medical services in the following ways:

• Clinical Performance Management- ensures the Department is providing the highest quality out-of-hospital health care to the public through compassionate, proficient practitioners.
• System Operations- focuses on the means by which the Department directly delivers its services to the public, assuring continuity of service with a fully integrated Engine-based first response and a dynamic transport ambulance workforce.  Issues of fleet deployment and management, unit staffing and configuration, and logistics are examples of functions that fall within systems operations.
• Risk Management- seeks to identify, evaluate, and reduce opportunities for injury to the public or Department members as a result of Department activities, with a strong emphasis on prevention and error reduction.
• Education and Training- provides SFFD personnel with the education and training skills necessary to maintain a high degree of proficiency in the delivery of emergency care and services.  The Division of Training EMS staff is responsible for curriculum development and training oversight and the Medical Director ensures the training program reflects the best contemporary practices in EMS education.
• Administration- focuses on internally-oriented management, support, and oversight functions necessary to ensure effective and efficient Department operations.  Examples of administrative functions include finance and budgeting, compliance with federal and state regulations, human resource management, medical records management and release of information, and customer service.
• Research- includes activities to evaluate new practices, techniques, and equipment with the intent to improve emergency care.  Activities include sponsored clinical investigations, pilot projects, and investigations of new treatment modalities.