Podcast 173 - Rethinking Lights & Sirens w/ Jeff Jarvis & Jonathon Jenkins

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jeffrey Jarvis, author of a fascinating paper on the impact of lights and siren (L&S) use in EMS responses. If you’re like most of us, when you hear those blaring sirens and see flashing lights, you think, “Wow, someone’s really in trouble!” But the truth, according to Dr. Jarvis’ study, might surprise you.

His team examined how often emergency medical crews were using L&S and whether the urgency justified it. Spoiler alert: in over 90% of cases, the sirens weren’t necessary.

Dr. Jarvis’ study gathered data from over 28,000 EMS responses and found that critical life-saving interventions (aka time-critical interventions or TCIs) only occurred in about 7% of those calls. In other words, L&S don’t usually make a life-or-death difference.

Why Does This Matter?

Statistically, the crash risk while using L&S increases by 50%. That risk isn’t just for the EMS crew; it affects drivers and pedestrians, too. So, when the benefits doesn’t outweigh the risk, why not rethink the approach?

The Study’s Approach

Dr. Jarvis and his team tackled this problem head-on by developing a new threshold system. Instead of defaulting to L&S for nearly every call, they analyzed how often TCIs occurred for different 911 calls. They reworked their dispatch system after identifying which call types required urgent interventions. The result? A dramatic 29% decrease in L&S use! Even more impressive, dispatch accuracy jumped by 26%, meaning they could send help more appropriately based on the real needs of each call.

And here’s the kicker—response times barely changed! The median response time only increased by 6 seconds. Let that sink in. By making EMS responses safer and more efficient, they only added a few seconds to their response times. That’s a small price to pay for keeping everyone safer on the roads.

Why This Matters for the Future of EMS

This isn’t just a local thing. Dr. Jarvis’ findings could influence EMS agencies nationwide. Imagine cutting down L&S use by almost 30% across the board—less stress for crews, fewer accidents, and no real impact on patient outcomes. As we rethink the way emergency care operates, studies like this help shift the focus toward smarter, safer practices.

References:

Jarvis, J. L., Johns, D., Jarvis, S. E., Knipstein, M., & Ratcliff, T. (2024). The impact of using time critical intervention-based dispatch thresholds on lowering lights and siren use to EMS 911 incidents. JACEP Open, 5(1), e13232. https://doi.org/10.1002/emp2.13232

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