The Bowling Green Fire Division has been awarded the 2020 Mission: Lifeline Silver Plus Award for
pre-hospital cardiac care by the American Heart Association.
“This award is the result of a combined superior performance by paramedics at the Fire Division,” Mayor
Mike Aspacher said in a statement read at Tuesday’s Bowling Green Council meeting.
The award is based on five measures looked at by the AHA. Only 88 agencies were recognized at the Silver
Plus or Gold Plus level in Ohio, Aspacher said, and only five of them are in Northwest Ohio.
This award is the result of a combined superior performance by paramedics at the fire division.
Firefighter/paramedic Brandon Westerman organized the effort, briefing personnel of the criteria needed
to achieve recognition, and then analyzed all pertinent EMS responses from 2019 to compile the data for
AHA to demonstrate that BGFD excels in all the set criteria.
Measures one through four must be achieved by a score of 75% or greater for all four quarters to receive
the Silver designation, which is the highest level that can be achieved in the first year of review. The
fifth measure, also known as the “Plus Measure,” must also be achieved by a score of 75% or greater in
order to qualify for the “Plus” designation.
“Chief Bill Moorman said that he fully intends to complete the Gold Plus designation application in 2021
and I am very confident in the fire division’s ability to attain that level of recognition,” Aspacher
said.
The measures:
Measure 1: Percentage of patients with non-traumatic chest pain/ Acute Coronary Syndrome symptoms in
patients ≥ 35 years of age, treated and transported by EMS who received a pre-hospital 12 Lead ECG.
This measure demonstrates patients meeting the criteria are receiving proper treatment in the field at
all times. (BGFD Performance- 98.1% annual average)
Measure 2: The percentage of hospital transmissions suggesting a STEMI alert (or Cardiac Cath Lab
Activation) that are performed ≤10 minutes of the first STEMI positive 12 lead ECG in the field.
This measure ensures prompt notification to the hospital so the team can prepare for emergency surgery as
soon as that patient arrives. (BGFD Performance- 80% annual average)
Measure 3: Percentage of patients treated and transported directly to a STEMI Receiving Center, with EMS
First Medical Contact to device time ≤90 minutes and/or EMS First Medical Contact to PCI≤120 minutes
when transport time≥45 minutes and Door to Balloon ≤30 minutes.
This measure ensures the patients having heart attacks are getting to the correct facility, in a
expedited fashion, and receiving the best definitive care to cure the problem within 90 minutes of
placing the call to 911. This is a team effort between the agency and the hospital. (BGFD Performance-
100% annual average)
Measure 4: Percentage of STEMI patients treated and transported directly to a STEMI Referring Hospital,
for reperfusion A) With a Door-to Needle time of ≤30 minutes OR B) Initial EMS FMC to PCI of the
transfer for PCI patients ≤120 minutes.
BGFD is exempt from measure 4 because it transports all patients to STEMI Receiving Centers instead of
STEMI Referring Hospitals. This ensures all patients receive definitive care in the quickest possible
time without adding an extra step to the process.
Plus Measure: Of those patients who received a 12 Lead ECG (measure 1 numerator volume), the percentage
of 12 Lead ECG’s performed ≤10 minutes of EMS First Medical Contact on patients with an initial
complaint non-traumatic chest pain/ACS symptoms who are ≥ 35 years of age. (Required for reporting but
not used for baseline recognition analysis)
The “Plus Measure” builds on Measure 1 to see that not only are all patients receiving a 12-lead EKG, but
they are also receiving it within 10 minutes of crew arrival to the scene. (BGFD Performance- 87.7%
annual average)