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Innovation

Medical Rescue Team South Authority prides itself on its high-quality providers and its adaptability to new threats, and diseases. Every day we learn more about how to best serve our community and we evaluate all variables through real time data tracking to implement and modify our service capabilities. Through collaboration and guidance with our medical director, St. Clair Health, AHN, UPMC and many more organizations we are bringing you the highest level of care.

Research

Medical Rescue Team South Authority actively participates in local, regional, state, and national research, both in medical and operational development. Many of our providers propose and take part in research. It is expected that all our providers at every level have some research exposure while at MRTSA, whether it’s through participating in research, or being read in current Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) and practices.

Pilot Projects

Medical Rescue Team South Authority participates in pilot projects to bring new technologies and higher levels of service to our community. Many of our projects focus on novel devices such as Bi-Level CPAP, Doppler, and many others. The goal of our pilot projects is to bring better care to our patients, while enabling our providers to bring more of the ER to you in a cost-effective manner.

Protocols

Medical Rescue Team South Authority follows the Pennsylvania Statewide EMS Protocols. Both management and field providers participate in statewide scope of practice and protocol review, enabling not just MRTSA but all EMS agencies in the Commonwealth to deliver the best medicine possible.

MRTSA has developed agency specific protocols with our medical director to improve our standardization of practice, increase our interoperability with other local agencies, to ensure best success in High Acuity, Low Occurrence (HALO) procedures, better serve specialty patient populations, and to safely incorporate novel procedures, medications, and practices in a safe way.

MRTSA Protocols

Ambulance Design

Medical Rescue Team South Authority has recently welcomed 3 new ambulances in early 2022. These Ram 5500 Chassis, Horton ambulances were upfitted and built with Kolaja Fire Equipment Sales. The ambulances were designed by a committee of our field providers with oversight from management; this was done so the ambulances design reflected the wants and needs of the providers who operate these vehicles every day. The ambulance interior and exterior design is focused on safety. These vehicles are some of the most advanced and innovative ambulances on the streets today.

Exterior features:

  • Adaptive volume white noise backup alarm
    • This prevents noise injury especially in enclosed spaces and the different tone attracts more attention.
  • Integrated rear traffic advisors
  • Emergency light dimmers
    • This prevents oncoming traffic from being blinded/or attracted to the lights therefore preventing secondary accidents.
  • An evolution of our pixilated design to maximize visibility
  • Low to the ground ride height
    • This prevents cumulative injury from stepping and decreases fall risk.
  • Front corner mounted turn signal lights
    • These lights illuminate the front corners of the ambulance white to illuminate the area you are turning into.
  • Low level emergency lighting
    • These lights flash near driver height so drivers in tight traffic can still see us.
  • Dual Howler System
    • Howlers utilize the siren noise and lower the frequency significantly. This noise is then aimed at the road ahead of the ambulance and vibrates the cars in front of it. New cars are built with so much insulation, it’s possible to not hear an ambulance coming with standard sirens. This technology is less aggressive to pedestrians walking around and the lower frequency is easier to pinpoint directionally as it doesn’t bounce off buildings as well.
  • 360° Camera System
    • This technology lets us see every aspect of our ambulance in an internal view screen and allows our drivers to be more situationally aware.
  • Front corner mounted turn signal lights
    • These lights illuminate the front corners of the ambulance white to illuminate the area you are turning into.

Interior features:

  • Forward mounted door
    • This separates the patient compartment from the ambulance entry, this allows police and other individuals to enter the vehicle without obstructing the patient care area.
  • Multiple steps
    • Our four-step entry allows easier access to the ambulance with less cumulative effects.
  • Stryker Power Cot & Power Loader
    • This cot system nearly eliminates the need for our providers to pick up a stretcher, this reduces acute and chronic back injury and is less stressful to the patient. All MRTSA ambulances have been retrofitted with this technology.
  • Patient compartment airbags
    • Our patient compartment features airbags to protect patients and providers in the incident of a crash.  This is a very uncommon feature.
  • Adaptive harness system
    • The Horton Occupant Protection System (HOPS) allows our providers to remain buckled in and secured even if moving around, providing patient care, and standing.
  • Intercom
    • We have a one-way intercom and camera system so our driver can always monitor the patient compartment.
  • Attendant Seat
    • Our attendant seat is an independent captain’s seat that can swivel, recline, and move side to side, once again this allows our crews to always remain seated while moving and face forward (the safest position).
  • Whiteboard
    • The walls of the ambulance are coated with a whiteboard material to enhance communication regarding the needs of oncoming and off going crews.
  • Patient engineered supply management
    • Our supplies are color coded and arranged so providers can access the most critical and most used equipment while remaining in a sitting position. They are designed to quickly pop in and out of place to allow for cleaning and replacement.
  • Red lighting
    • The red lighting allows our providers to retain physiologic night vision while quickly transiting from nighttime operations to patient care in the back of the truck. Further, it allows a lower energy environment for pediatric and light sensitive patient.