On November 15th, 2024 frontline staff of Rolling Hills Fire deployed a new tool during emergency medical calls. Members now wear body cameras from the Axon Corporation. This is another tool that Rolling Hills Fire has to better serve the community.
According to the National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NASEMSO), EMS agencies respond to over 28.5 million calls per year. With those calls comes a dizzying array of situations that EMTs must adapt to and address.
Among the challenges that come with being an EMS provider are the stress of making life-or-death decisions quickly, mountains of paperwork and all-too-frequent occurrences of workplace violence. A body-worn camera for EMS responders can help address these challenges by aiding in training, documentation and de-escalating violent situations while also providing additional benefits.
Benefits of body worn cameras including added safety for the patient and responders, improved patient care through quality assurance programs, improved training, telemedicine and liability mitigation. After months of research and consultation with legal advisors, Rolling Hills Fire administration made the decision to deploy these vital tools only after ensuring strict privacy compliance (HIPPA).
Rolling Hills Fire is proud to be the first in introducing this technology within the Oklahoma EMS/Fire service. These tools are not new to the field of EMS/Fire with many other agencies in the country already seeing the benefit in similar programs.