56.7 F
Clarksville
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsMontgomery County Emergency Medical Dispatchers Recognized

Montgomery County Emergency Medical Dispatchers Recognized

Dispatchers Have Less Than One Percent Error Rate

Montgomery County Government TennesseeMontgomery County, TN – Seven local 911 telecommunicators were recently recognized for for their 2017 scores in quality assurance for their work in Emergency Medical Dispatch. Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) is a systematic program of handling medical calls.

The seven dispatchers who were recognized had less than one percent error in 2017. To have a quality assurance score of 99 percent is an outstanding achievement. The Montgomery County 911 Team is proud of their hard work and dedication.

(L to R) Whitney Lyons, 911 Director Brian Hitchcock and Stephanie Nickell Award recipients not pictured are: Amber Zarnke, Carol Evans, Haley Holt, Kerston Abbott and Stanley York.
(L to R) Whitney Lyons, 911 Director Brian Hitchcock and Stephanie Nickell Award recipients not pictured are: Amber Zarnke, Carol Evans, Haley Holt, Kerston Abbott and Stanley York.

APCO, an organization that certifies Emergency Medical Dispatchers, requires quality assurance call review of seven percent to 10 percent of medical calls taken.

The required score is 90% accuracy. Trained telecommunicators, using locally approved EMD Guidecards, quickly and properly determine the nature and priority of the call, dispatch the appropriate response, then give the caller instructions to help treat the patient until the responding EMS unit arrives.

The APCO Institute’s comprehensive EMD is based on the NHTSA National Standard Curriculum for EMD, and incorporates all current ASTM and NHTSA guidelines.

The Montgomery County 911 EMD program was started in 2010. All 911 telecommunicators receive EMD training and certification before they start on the job training answering 911 calls with a certified training officer. The EMD process does not slow down Emergency Medical Services response. Emergency Medical Service is dispatched to the scene as soon as a location and the chief medical complaint is determined.

The 911 telecommunicator stays on the line with the caller to gather additional information for the responders. The 911 telecommunicators provide pre-arrival instructions for numerous medical situations such as allergic reactions and chest pains to CPR, obstructed airway and childbirth. The work of 911 telecommunicators is instrumental in helping people to care for those in emergency and non-emergency situations until Emergency Medical Services personnel arrive on the scene.

RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles