Rather than focusing just as much effort on a “stubbed toe” as they would with a heart attack, the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department is adjusting to a response priority model that officials say saves time and provides better service to those in true emergencies.

The Priority Dispatch Model allots one minute for a station either to be en route to an emergency or to notify dispatch that they are unavailable.

The model replaces the previously used Failure To Respond method, which allotted four minutes for a station to be en route to a call and if that four minutes passed, the call was rerouted to the next closest station and the first station was counted as having a “failure to respond.”

Rather than waste four minutes to reroute a call, Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said the new model, similar to national protocols, allots one minute for a station either to be en route or to notify dispatch that they are unavailable.