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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

An Ohio EMT-Paramedic needs a minimum of 92 hours of Continuing Education within their three year certification cycle. Of this, there must be at least 12 hours in pediatrics, 4 hours in geriatrics, 12 hours in emergency cardiac care, and 8 hours of trauma, of which 2 hours must be devoted to triage and transportation protocols. All requirements for recertification are available at www.ems.ohio.gov.
All fire department personnel are cross trained as a firefighters and EMS providers. The fire engines or ladder trucks are dispatched to support the paramedic unit on Advanced Life Support calls. The fire truck will also respond if they are closer to the medical emergency than the paramedic unit; they carry advanced life support supplies on the fire engines and ladder truck.
The Norwich Township Fire Department only handles emergency transports. Non-emergency transports are handled by private convalescent services. These services provide paramedics, as necessary, for all routine, non-emergency transports. Some also have special wheelchair services for those people that may need those services. You can find these in the yellow pages of your local phone book, through your insurance company or the receiving hospital.
With there being so many variables to the release of Protected Health Information, feel free to contact our department Privacy Officer at (614) 876-7694 for information on how to obtain a copy of your EMS Report.
Our agency transports to all hospitals that contain emergency departments in Franklin County, and will try to honor your hospital of choice. There may be times that we cannot honor your request, due to the medical condition of the patient (such as a trauma patient), hospital specialty, diversion of EMS from that hospital and other extenuating circumstances. Click here for a complete list of hospitals that we transport patients to.
Currently, emergency departments in Columbus are treating a very large number of patients. During these times of peak illness, it is not always possible for our patients to be taken to the hospital of their choice. We will do all that we can to get you to the hospital of your choice. If the hospital is unable to accept ambulance patients because they are extremely busy, we will gladly take you to another hospital to assure that you receive the best care possible.
The Norwich Township Fire Department is an advocate for quality Emergency Medical Services and wants to hear from you on how we are doing. As part of our Quality Improvement Program, on each and every patient encounter, all patients will receive a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices (for protected health information) as well as a Service Response Card. This card is postage paid and has a brief questionnaire about the service you received. When you complete it and return the card, it goes to our departments’ EMS Coordinator and he will forward the comments out to the responding unit.
EMS Providers may be the first, and sometimes only, professionals that care for victims of family violence. The Norwich Township Fire Department participates in a regional screening process, whereby all patients who present to EMS for care shall receive a family violence assessment. Our providers are trained and can provide you resources if you are a victim of family violence. Click here for a copy of the EMS Family Violence Screening Protocols Safety Plan. Also, refer to our links section for additional resources.
If you are a resident of Norwich Township or the City of Hilliard, your 9-1-1 call will go directly to the dispatch office at the Hilliard Police Department. If you are a resident of Brown Township, your 9-1-1 call will first go to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and be transferred to the dispatch office.

Our dispatcher will ask you a series of questions which will determine the appropriate response for our agency (advanced life support or basic life support run). The appropriate equipment will be dispatched, which will be at minimum a paramedic unit and may include a fire engine or ladder truck as well as the EMS Coordinator or Battalion Chief.

The arriving personnel will provide medical treatment, according to our agencies medical protocol. If transportation to a medical facility is necessary, we will provide transportation to one of the local hospital emergency departments, which will be based upon patient choice, medical appropriateness based upon the patient’s condition as well as availability of bed space to the EMS unit at the emergency department.

During transportation, you will be provided a copy of our agencies Notice of Privacy Practices and a cover letter that explains our agencies Quality Assurance program, which includes a Service Response Card.

If you have any questions about an EMS run, please contact our EMS Coordinator.