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. 2025 Jan 25;33(1):11.
doi: 10.1186/s13049-024-01316-9.

Improving preparedness for time critical prehospital care: a descriptive study of the first responder system in Central Norway

Andreas Lindeman  1 , Lars Eide Næss  2   3 , Lars Vesterhus  2 , Ann-Britt Maude Bakken  3 , Andreas Krüger  2 , Helge Haugland  2
Affiliations

Improving preparedness for time critical prehospital care: a descriptive study of the first responder system in Central Norway

Andreas Lindeman et al. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. .

Abstract

Background: First responders exist in several countries and have been a prehospital emergency medical resource in Norwegian municipalities since 2010. However, the Norwegian system has not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to describe the first responder system in Central Norway and how it is used as a supplement to emergency medical services (EMS).

Methods: We described incidents with dispatch of first responders in the catchment area of the Emergency Medical Communication Center of Sør-Trøndelag in Central Norway, using retrospective data recorded in the Norwegian Emergency Medical Information System between 2019 and 2023.

Results: First responders were dispatched to 460 incidents during the period. Of these, 441/460 (96%) incidents were assessed as "acute", and 135/460 (29%) were assessed as possible cardiac arrests. Four large rural municipalities accounted for 234/460 (51%) of the incidents. One in four patients, 112/449 (25%), died within 30 days. EMS had a median response time of 29 min in our sample.

Conclusion: First responders are almost exclusively dispatched to high-severity incidents, with suspected cardiac arrest being the most common dispatch criteria. Our findings suggest that the first responder system contributes to rapid response in cases of acute illness and injury, especially in rural areas.

Keywords: Descriptive studies; Emergency medical services; First responders; Health care; Health care preparedness; Quality of care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was submitted for review to the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics in Central Norway (REK Midt). The study was assessed as quality improvement work and therefore not subject to mandatory submission to REK (Application number 581902). Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: ABMB is the project leader for the education of first responders in Norway, employed by NAAF. The remaining authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hospitals, ambulance stations, and fire stations in the coverage area of Sør-Trøndelag EMCC, 2024. The background image is sourced from www.geodata.no (Esri, Kartverket, Geovekst, Municipalities, OSM, USGS, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, DSB), with permission from Geodata AS
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Overview of municipalities (with number of inhabitants in parenthesis) in Sør-Trøndelag in Central Norway with the highest number of first responder dispatches. The gray boxes indicate incidence of dispatches per thousand inhabitants per year in each municipality
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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