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We have a new dispatch primarily for police but they do get calls to page out trough voice pagers EMS & Fire calls. We are a small town of about 1000 residents. We would like to find a standard Word or WordPerfect form that dispatch can use when getting information about an EMS or Fire call. They tend to get minimal information from the reporting party and we respond with little info about the patient or fire.
Help!?!?!? : )
Dispatchers may disagree with me on this, but here's my thought: research Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) and all of the benefits THIS way of information gathering & call determinates can help streamline the process. I've never spent any time working dispatch, but it works for SO many agencies around the country. There are a great many dispatchers among us here on Firehouse, so hopefully they will weigh in on this topic. Best of luck!
I agree with researching EMD we use the system and it has made a big difference. They give you the questions to ask and tells you word for word the instructions to give callers. They provide training in using the system.
If you have any questions about it email me.
Doesnt your state require a minimal certification for answering Emergency calls - like a standard '911 class'.
The State of Connecticut has a 4 1/2 Day class, on the basics of 911 operations. In addition, all State of CT Dispatch center must comply with REQUIREMENT to provide Emergency Medical Dispatching. As of July 2004, all Connecticut towns must have an Emergency Medical Dispatching plan in place. Some of the small dispatch centers may actually opt to 'contract' EMD to a larger or commercial provider.
As for a standard "FORM" of questioning; as a responder, WHAT information would you WANT them to tell you at dispatch. Go from there. !!
Kevin
FF/EMT/Dispatch
Connecticut
I'm more curious why a town of 1,000 has its own dispatch center.
Anyway, the basics:
1. Where? (location both of caller and of incident, directions, landmarks, etc)
2. Call back number? (either to the complainant, or the incident location)
3. What is the problem? (if not obvious)
- Law Enforcement adds the Why?/How?/Weapons? as standard questions.
- Fire adds things like Smoke?/Fire?/Evacuate?/Exposures?
- Medical adds Age?/Sex?/Conscious?/Breathing?
If you're looking to provide instructions like "apply direct pressure" and "perform chest compressions"... you really need to have EMD trained personnel doing this.
These are just the basics that will get you by in most situations. For specific call handling technique, I'd recommend a course by Powerphone or Priority Dispatch. They both offer fire service communications training as well as EMD. If you need a list of questions, they're fairly comprehensive and address *most* situations very well.
We made our own forms, using basic word processing, to do what you are looking for. Our "call taker" worksheets have headings, with blank space following each item. I would ask and record the first four items in the listed order of priority.
1. Location of Incident:_______
2. Type of Incident:________
3. Callback Number:_______
4. Caller's Name:_______ (optional)
Time:_____
Cross Street/Landmark:______
as far as your concern about not responding with any patient info or details about the incident, you can add a few basic questions to your worksheet. Some of these are straight from EMD cards. Powerphone and APCO both make fire and EMS guidecards, but these require training and time to use properly.
EMS: Is the patient conscious (able to speak?) Y/N?
Is the patient breathing (normaly) Y/N?
Patient age:______
Fire: What (exactly) is on fire?________
Is anyone trapped?__________
Is anyone injured, if Yes, how many?__________
The bottom 2/3 of the worksheet serves as the log for the incident. You can scribble times and comments in the columns, for later entry into a computer (if that is what you do).
Time---------Unit-------------Remarks----------------------
hope this helps
Get EMD. It's that simple.
mrklum you are not computerized. I would have a hard time doing that. I can not write nearly as fast as I can type. We have a dispatcdh system that tracks all out fire/EMS and law enforcment units. I beleive it is made by PSSI, I can't imagine having to write everything down. We all compline when the computer goes down for 10 minutes.
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I'm more curious why a town of 1,000 has its own dispatch center.
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We are on the Walker River Paiute Reservation in Nevada. Dispatch has been provided by the county off the reservation for years. The story is that the county was charging for these services and wanted an extra few tens of thousands of dollars and the quality of dispatch services was already lacking. Our Tribal chair was not willing to pay the extra so it was decided to have our own dispatch. No, we are not a rich casino tribe but just a remote Indian Reservation in Nevada who wants to have good coverage for paid police, volunteer fire, and volunteer EMS.
We are on the busy highway from Reno to Las Vegas. Since our tribe has no real economic development, traffic tickets provide some funding for the dispatch services. I know we could get into many discussions about this type of "funding" but that's how it works here.
Thanks for all the comments. Feel free to add to this thread if others have more comments but the suggestions so far are outstanding.
I worked dispatch for law enforcement for a parish of approx 10,000. This office also handled 911 calls for anything outside the city limits to include most cell phone calls. When needed dispatch for 10 different fire districts. EMS calls were transferred to a private EMS for internal dispatch.
PowerPhone and EMD are excellent and highly recommended training. When the budget allows. I applaud the efforts of Rezfire to upgrade spite the money restraints.
I also requested the same information. I was told about PowerPhone, and EMD. As a EMT Basic I was also told of the liability of giving medical direction without being EMD qualified.
The "basic 911 class" we were taught was "When the phone rings , pick it up and say '911 what's your emergency?' " A transfer button or two later, we were trained. (We won't even talk about the TDD lawsuit thru the U.S. attorneys office)
kmacinct hit the nail on the head. As a responder, what information would YOU be looking for? Try a ride along with each agency. Get a feel of how it is on the other end of the mic. It really helped to open my eyes to the type of information was needed. I started to notice that the time it took for dispatch to get back with the information seemed a bit longer than when I was sitting there gathering the information. Preperation is value to those you are dispatching to.
After Action Reviews are very helpful also. Get together with the other shift dispatchers and evaluate the information taking process. One formal sheet of paper should be enough room for call info, dispatch and record keeping for MOST calls. The first section is the most important. Address and type of call was all I found I needed if, for instance a cell phone caller was breaking up. After that info was callback, and specifics (airway, fire direction, hazards--weapons, propane tanks, etc.)
Mostly a trial and error, but standardization is key.
Good luck!