Ambulance response times have shown significant improvements since Dunwoody funded a dedicated vehicle to patrol the city from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to a recently released report.
The report, “Summary of DeKalb County/AMR Concerns,” said 90% of the response times for all calls dropped from 24 minutes to 19 minutes, a 22% percent reduction. Ninety percent of response times during the hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. fell from 35 minutes to less than 17 minutes, according to a 120-day comparison compiled by the DeKalb County Fire Department.
However, the report cautioned that while improvements in response times have been substantial, “the cost of providing this additional service will be difficult to sustain moving forward.”
“The initial funding came from one-time ARPA [American Rescue Plan] funding. The City Council has appropriated additional ARPA funds for 2025,” the report said. “Unfortunately, there are no additional funding sources for this service after 2025.”
Dunwoody’s City Council has grappled with this issue since penning an 2018 agreement with DeKalb.
The memo details the eroding state of ambulance times, which have also been widely reported in the media.
In 2019, the vast majority of calls were answered within 13 minutes. That time frame rose to 16 minutes in 2020, 19 minutes in 2021 and 22 minutes in 2023. Sometimes, the memo said, the calls for service went unanswered.
“On several occasions, no estimated response time could be provided, and an AMR ambulance stationed in Sandy Springs responded to the City of Dunwoody and transported the patient,” the report said.
The initial MOU service required that Advanced Life Support calls to be answered within nine minutes in 90% of the cases and the majority of Basic Life Support calls to be 15 minutes or less.
Dunwoody officials, along with surrounding cities, complained several times to the Region 3 EMS Ad-Hoc Committee, which was formed to address emergency response time issues. However, the agency took no action, saying that DeKalb County had made “substantial steps towards improving response times.”
The report, while acknowledging the current model is not sustainable, suggests a “pragmatic alternative,” segmenting DeKalb into several dedicated EMS response zones similar to ones established in Fulton and Cobb.
It is unclear whether the county would be amenable to the restructuring. However, in February, the DeKalb Board of Commissioners approved $3.8 million to add 15 EMT/paramedics, five nurse practitioners, and five ambulances to enhance response times countywide.
In addition, the announcement said the county is in the process of installing a $5 million E-911 system and has contracted a consultant to complete “an objective review of DeKalb County’s EMS system.”