Death of a Princess – Did Princess Diana Have to Die?A Case Study in French EMS

Saving Lives, Saving the Planet
The Denver Paramedics Find Ways to Help the Environment

Death of a Princess – Did Princess Diana Have to Die:A Case Study in French EMS

The delay that cost Diana her life

Diana emergency medical treatment

*****************************************

By John Vazquez

Denver’s emergency ambulance service recently announced an initiative aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its operations. Chief Paramedic of the Denver Health Paramedic Division explains, “We wanted to show that being environmentally responsible doesn’t have to be fiscally irresponsible. We also wanted to challenge the conventional wisdom that emergency services are somehow incompatible with being environmentally conscious.” Nugent explains, “We evaluated all aspects of our operation, and found four specific areas where we thought our practices could easily be improved: fuel consumption, water consumption, paper consumption, and waste distribution.”

The first step the Denver Paramedic Division took was to switch from conventional diesel fuel to B20 biodiesel. Compared to regular diesel fuel, biodiesel offers numerous advantages. Most importantly, it reduces the amount of many types of pollution in vehicle exhaust. Biodiesel produces less of the carbon emissions responsible for global warming; it also produces less particulate emissions, which have been shown to be a serious cause of asthma and other health problems.

“This isn’t just an environmental measure, it’s a public health measure” says Nugent.

The Denver Paramedics looked at other aspects of the way their fleet is maintained, and found room for further improvement. In the past, ambulances were washed after every shift; meaning ambulances were often washed twice a day. This practice consumed almost 4,500 gallons of water a week as well as 55 gallons of detergent. A schedule was established so that ambulances were washed every other day, saving more than 1,300 gallons of water every week.

Nugent adds, “We felt this was particularly important because of our arid climate, and the fact that Colorado has faced drought conditions four of the last five years.”

Denver Paramedics fleet maintenance staff also found that they could dilute the detergent used to wash vehicles, reducing the amount of chemicals discharged into the municipal wastewater system and saving the Division $11,760 a year.

The administrative offices of the Denver Paramedic Division were also scrutinized for areas were their practices could be improved. Purchasing practices were changed, so that only post-consumer recycled paper is purchased for all the Division’s printers and copiers. Reuse trays were added to all printers, and all photocopiers were configured for double-sided printing to minimize the amount of paper used. This reduced the Division’s paper consumption by almost two-thirds. Additionally, trashcans were replaced with recycling bins in all of the Division’s offices to encourage recycling of paper, aluminum, plastic, and cardboard. Recycling these products not only reduces landfill waste, it also consumes less energy than manufacturing them new.

“We see all of this as just a first step,” says Nugent. “We have managed to reduce the environmental impact of our operation without changing a single thing about the way we care for our patients, and we will continue to evaluate all of our practices as we go forward. We want to be sure we are doing all we can to fulfill our mission in the most efficient and responsible manner possible.”

-30-