Agenda Item Name:
Title
Alachua County Fire Rescue Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) Certification
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Presenter:
Harold Theus, Chief 352-384-3101
Description:
Alachua County Fire Rescue received national accreditation for its ambulance services through CAAS)
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Recognize the CAAS certification
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Prior Board Motions:
N/A
Fiscal Consideration:
Fiscal Consideration
N/A
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Strategic Guide:
Strategic Guide
N/A
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Background:
The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) is an independent accrediting agency that exists to encourage and promote the highest standards for medical transport systems. The agency reviews over 100 standards of best practices. They include standards for agency management; financial management, budgeting, and strategic planning; relations with outside agencies; mutual aid and disaster coordination; community education and relations; human resources and personnel management, hiring, credentialing training, problem resolution, and performance evaluations; clinical standards, quality improvement; safe operations and risk management; vehicles, equipment, facilities; and communications dispatch.
The department began working towards ambulance accreditation over 2 years ago. Receiving the accreditation, Alachua County Fire Rescue is 1 of 22 accredited agencies in the State of Florida and 1 of 190 in the United States. The accreditation is a rigorous process evaluating the department against strict best standards of practices for agencies with ambulances. The primary focus of the Commission’s standards is high-quality patient care.