Indianapolis Emergency Medical Service Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dan O’Donnell updated the Health and Hospital Corporation board on April 15 that EMS has responded to just under 40,000 calls for the year, a roughly 10 percent increase from the same point last year.

O’Donnell described recent operational improvements and demonstrations at the national Fire Department Instructors Conference and the Journal of Emergency Medical Services international conference, including hosting a skills booth, participating in a national skills competition and presenting talks.

He said EMS has installed new narcotics safes on ambulances to better secure controlled substances and is installing new camera systems to capture data in crashes or other incidents. In February EMS added voice translation services on ambulances to overcome language barriers; the system has been used 388 times so far with Spanish, Haitian Creole and American Sign Language among the top languages.

O’Donnell said EMS has coordinated with Marion County Public Health Department on measles guidance for safe patient treatment and transport and noted the agency’s event coverage plans for spring events including the mini‑marathon, festival parade and other public gatherings.

No board action was taken on the EMS report.