The AI system supporting Munich Fire Department

Key Concepts

• Emergency Call Prioritization: The practice of handling urgent emergency calls before non-urgent medical transport requests.
• Medical Transport Calls: Requests for ambulance or other transport services for patients needing follow-up care or transfer between facilities.
• Microsoft Azure AI Foundry: A platform used for building and deploying AI solutions.
• Microsoft Azure AI Speech with Voice HD: A speech-to-text and text-to-speech service offering high-definition voice quality for natural language interactions.
• AI-Supported Transport Registration: Utilizing AI to automate the process of logging and confirming medical transport requests.

Emergency Response & The Challenge of Medical Transport Coordination in Munich

The Munich fire department and associated emergency services handle a substantial volume of calls annually: approximately 600,000 emergency calls and 120,000 medical transport requests. The emergency room itself manages up to 150 patients daily, with 40-50 requiring admission and the remainder being treated as outpatients. A significant portion of outpatient care necessitates arranging medical transport for patients following discharge. This creates a critical bottleneck in workflow.

Prioritization & Resulting Inefficiencies

A core operational principle is the prioritization of emergency calls over medical transport requests. While necessary for life-threatening situations, this prioritization leads to delays in processing medical transport calls. Staff dedicated to coordinating these transports are frequently forced to wait, interrupting their primary duties of patient care. This delay represents a substantial loss of valuable time that could be dedicated to direct patient interaction and nursing responsibilities. The core issue, as stated, is “you have to sit in one place in the middle of our workday without actually having the time to do so.”

AI Implementation: A Solution Utilizing Microsoft Azure

To address this inefficiency, the Munich fire department implemented an AI-powered solution leveraging Microsoft Azure products. The primary component is Microsoft Azure AI Foundry, a platform designed for building and deploying AI applications. Crucially, they also integrated Microsoft Azure AI Speech with Voice HD, enabling natural and human-like dialogue capabilities.

AI-Powered Transport Request Process – A Demonstration

The system demonstrates a streamlined process for handling medical transport requests. An example dialogue provided illustrates the AI’s functionality:

• AI: “What is the exact reason for the transport?”
• User: “The reason for the transfer is inpatient follow-up treatment after traumatic brain injury.”
• AI: “The medical transport is confirmed.”

This demonstrates the AI’s ability to quickly ascertain the necessary information for transport confirmation. The system is designed to proactively identify missing information and ask clarifying questions, ensuring complete and accurate transport requests. This capability significantly reduces the manual effort required from staff.

Benefits & Impact on Workflow

The implementation of AI is projected to yield several key benefits. Staff anticipate having more time available for direct patient care, reducing the stress associated with waiting on hold for transport coordination. The system is expected to simplify daily workflows and improve overall efficiency. As stated, “I will have more time for the patients. It will reduce a lot of stress from being on hold and will make everyday work and workflows easier.”

Scalability & Future Outlook

The Munich fire department envisions significant potential for scaling this AI solution beyond its current implementation. They believe the system could be deployed throughout Germany, Europe, and potentially worldwide, offering a standardized and efficient approach to medical transport coordination. This suggests a belief in the broad applicability and effectiveness of the implemented AI solution.