Blue Tape Pays Off For EMSA In Recent Tulsa Storm

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- No one likes dealing with red tape. But blue tape is something that Oklahoma's largest ambulance service has embraced - with positive results.

During last week's winter storm, EMSA paramedics tested out a new method for marking vehicles. Before leaving the scene of traffic collisions or stalled cars, EMSA paramedics fastened bright blue caution tape to involved vehicles to confirm that they had been checked, and no one was inside.

The idea of using blue tape to mark vehicles was conceived during the December 2009 winter storm, when EMSA received multiple calls from motorists concerned about stranded vehicles. Paramedics ended up checking some vehicles multiple times, because there was no way for dispatchers to ascertain from callers whether the vehicle had been previously checked.

When passing motorists called 911 during the January storm to report stranded or wrecked vehicles, EMSA dispatchers asked the callers whether those cars were marked with blue tape.

"Usually during a winter weather event, phones in the 911 center are ringing off the hook. As soon as an EMSA dispatcher ends a call, another rings in at his call-taker position," said EMSA Communications Manager Cathy Smith.

"This storm was different. It was busy, but we seemed to have fewer repeat calls about roadside incidents."

EMSA Director of Operations Duffy McAnallen was in the field for much of the December 2007 and January 2010 winter storms.

"In 2007, I personally responded to multiple reports for the same stranded vehicles. It wasn't until I pulled up on scene that I realized I was checking something that I'd already checked," said McAnallen. "This year, every stranded or wrecked vehicle I drove past was already marked. Just as I'd start to pull over, I'd see the blue tape and know no one needed my help there."

EMSA looked at two of the busiest days of the December and January storms to help determine whether the blue tape made an impact. On December 24, 2009, EMSA responded to 62 motor vehicle crashes in the Tulsa area and transported 11 patients hurt in wrecks to area hospitals.

During peak hours on Christmas Eve, EMSA dispatchers answered 96 calls through the 911 lines. Compare that to January 29, 2010, when EMSA responded to more slightly more crashes – 68, with 12 patients hurt – in the Tulsa area but received only 78 phone calls in peak hours. That represents 19% fewer calls.

EMSA plans to re-implement the blue tape system during future storms. However, the tape used next time will be wider to make it more readily visible.

"It's a very small investment – less than $100 to purchase tape for the last storm – that can make a big difference when you consider fuel costs, employees' workload and improved service for the citizens," Smith said.