Information Campaign Starting May 2019
May 2, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Captain I Ben O’Bryant, 703-228-4643
Arlington County, VA. – The Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) is initiating a public information campaign to help individuals, facilities and communities develop the know-how to “Make the Right Call.” We are empowering our community to help maintain our EMS system readiness by learning appropriate utilization of our medical 911 system. The goal of the initiative is to minimize the impact on emergency resource readiness that occurs when emergency medical personnel and equipment are used for non-emergent medical situations.
ACFD’s “Make the Right Call” public information campaign has been developed to educate all facets of the community about medical 911 use as well as the myriad of other medical resources available throughout Arlington County. While you should always call 911 if unsure, ACFD’s “Make the Right Call” campaign is designed to help people better understand how to identify a true medical emergency that requires a 911 emergency response versus an urgent or non-emergent medical issue that, although important, could be handled without emergency resources. Increased public awareness of true medical emergencies and appropriate emergency medical utilization will help keep ACFD first responders available to respond to true medical emergencies while still ensuring community members get the appropriate services they need.
“Make the Right Call” is a community extension of the successful campaign ACFD initiated several years ago working collaboratively with local long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers and community clinics to decrease unnecessary utilization of emergency medical resources. Based on this success, and noting the success of similar programs nationwide, we are now expanding our outreach and public education efforts to ensure the entire community has access to materials and information. This spring during our annual “Operation Fire Safe” program, we will begin distributing “Make the Right Call” door hangers throughout Arlington County. More information regarding the “Make the Right Call” program can be found on our website as well as social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by following @ArlingtonVAFD.
The Arlington County Fire Department is committed to maintaining the highest state of readiness and providing its residents with excellent customer service. “Make the Right Call” is just one more example of that commitment.
