Firefighters in Wassenaar, Scheveningen, Pijnacker-Nootdorp, and Maasdijk will no longer be alerted to assist in cardiac arrest emergencies. The change ends a first responder role held by four of the 23 stations in the Veiligheidsregio Haaglanden network.
The dedicated teams were established twenty years ago to help cover outlying corners of the region during ambulance budget cutbacks. Heart Foundation guidelines urge the use of a defibrillator within six minutes, a window decentralised fire stations could often meet.
Better ambulance coverage cited
Veiligheidsregio Haaglanden based the decision on independent research by the Netherlands Institute for Public Safety (NIPV). A spokesperson explained that the need for fire service support declined as regional ambulance services expanded and response times improved.
The safety region also cited the mental toll these traumatic medical calls place on firefighting personnel as a key factor in phasing out the assignment.
Concerns over response speeds
Former Wassenaar fire commander Rob Gussekloo, who helped set up the initial response teams after the local ambulance station vanished, expressed profound surprise at the move.
He noted that daytime crews in Wassenaar can deploy within a minute, and volunteer crews after six in the evening still arrive on scene within eight minutes.
Wassenaar mayor Leendert de Lange acknowledged the widespread local frustration. He stated that he intends to discuss custom solutions with the Veiligheidsregio Haaglanden to honour the firefighters’ willingness to assist local residents.
