Denver's new medical response model starts as a pilot Nov. 23, with fire and ambulance times running four minutes over goal

The presentation for Wednesday's briefing on the "Denver Dynamic Response Model" was posted Friday, after our preview ran (26-1761, slides). The 35 slides are from the Department of Public Safety, the Fire Department, Denver Health's paramedics, Denver 9-1-1 and the Office of the Emergency Medical Response System.

Why it matters: the model changes how Denver decides what to send to a medical call and how fast it has to get there. The Council gets a briefing, not a vote.

When it starts

The slides list four phases. Phase 3, "implementation and evaluation," is dated Nov. 23: approved procedures introduced "through coordinated training, operational testing and performance review."

How far off the current goals are

From Jan. 1 through Nov. 12, 2026, according to the slides:

• Denver Fire: total response of 10:32 against a 6:30 goal, 4:02 over.
• Denver Health paramedics: 14:52 against a 10:30 goal, 4:22 over.

The slides don't say whether those are averages or another measure. Today's goals add a 1:30 alarm-processing window to a travel goal of 5:00 for fire and 9:00 for ambulances. Denver 9-1-1's goal is to answer 90% of emergency calls within 15 seconds and 95% within 20.

The new categories

Calls would be sorted into seven priorities, from Purple, "life-threatening condition(s) identified at case entry," through Red A, Red B, Orange 10, Orange 9 and Yellow to Green, for referrals. Purple through Orange 10 get lights and sirens; Orange 9 and below don't. The slides give examples: cardiac arrest at the top, a possible stroke as time-sensitive, and persistent back pain as a call where "an approved protocol may allow a different response priority."

The pilot standards

Only two have numbers so far, based on Denver responses from 2023 through 2025:

• Purple: 8:15 total response for the first unit. The table also sets 1:45 for taking the call, 1:30 for the medical dispatch questions, and travel times after assignment of 6:15 for basic life support units and 9:45 for advanced life support.
• Orange 9: 30:00 total response for the first unit, with 15:00 for travel after assignment.

The slides don't explain how the separate intervals relate to the totals.

Every other category is "TBD." Standards will follow the pilot, the slides say, and if Purple times improve, Denver "will explore making that standard more ambitious."

The clock is also changing. The 2024 audited measure covered only alarm processing and travel; it left out how long a caller waited for an answer and the time between arrival and reaching the patient. Under the new model, the slides say, response time is measured "from the moment a 911 call is received until the first units arrive."

Lights and sirens

One slide says national experts recommend lights and sirens "only when the time saved could make a meaningful difference in patient care," citing risks to responders, patients and other drivers.

The equity check

The Department of Safety reviewed about 76,000 medical patients from 2025. No group crossed its threshold for overrepresentation in the pilot categories; people 65 and older came closest. Asian, Middle Eastern or North African, and under-18 patients were flagged as underrepresented. The slides say the analysis "measured who falls within the pilot categories, not response times or patient outcomes."

The city cites Toronto, which reviewed more than 900,000 calls before changing its model in late 2024, plus Colorado Springs and York Region, Ontario. It promises public reports on response times by priority, patient safety and differences by area, including Council district.

What our records add

Denver Health's contract is up Monday. The $48.8 million 2027 operating agreement, down from $69.3 million this year, gets its first reading Nov. 16 (26-1622, our story).

Fire got the biggest increase. The 2027 Long Bill gives the Fire Department $165.1 million, up $7 million (our story).

What's next

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 10:30 a.m.: Health and Safety Committee briefing (meeting). Nov. 23: pilot phase begins, according to the slides.