Communications And Dispatch

Flaws Seen in Dispatch System for Air Ambulances

The growth in for-profit air ambulance operators nationally has given EMS providers more options, but it also has subjected them to marketing pitches and other influences that can affect patient care.

Posted Monday, October 22, 2007

Wildfires Rage in Southern Calif.

Wildfires are forcing the evacuation of nearly 250,000 people in San Diego County alone, including hundreds of patients who are being moved by school bus and ambulance from a hospital and nursing homes.

Posted Monday, October 22, 2007

Tracking Device Speeds Rescues: Project Lifesaver Monitors Can Pinpoint Location

Project Lifesaver places small tracking devices, about the size of a wristwatch, on people with cognitive disabilities. The monitor allows authorities to accurately pinpoint the location of anyone wearing the device.

Posted Thursday, October 18, 2007

Life s Critical Five Minutes; Emergency Response Protocol Evaluated

In an effort to cut costs, Mundy Township (Mich.) firefighters now dispatched to life-threatening medical emergencies only when a paramedic unit or ambulance is unable to reach the scene in five minutes.

Posted Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Radio Coverage Improves in Miss.: First Responders Use handhelds to Communicate

The Jackson County (Miss.) Emergency Communications District recently invested $1.6 million to improve radio transmission sites throughout the county. As a result, first responders now can use their handheld radios to communicate with each other.

Posted Tuesday, October 16, 2007

N.C. Man Dies in Accident: Paramedics, Firefighters Failed to Find Wreck Down Embankment

Paramedics and firefighters initially missed finding a truck that ran off the highway down a steep enbankment in Charlotte, N.C. It s unknown if the lost time contributed to the driver s death.

Posted Friday, October 12, 2007

Emergency Response: Missouri & Kansas Hospitals Reach a New Agreement

A Missiouri and a Kansas hospital have agreed to alter an agreement to allow ambulances to respond from Kansas into southern Buchanan County, Mo. to answer medical emergencies, vehicle accidents and the like.

Posted Monday, October 8, 2007

FCC Sets E911 Deadlines

Commercial wireless carriers must meet Enhanced 911 Phase 2 location-accuracy requirements at the public-safety answering point level and comply with annual benchmarks within five years.

Posted Friday, October 5, 2007

Patient Abandonment: What It Is -- and Isn't

In the field, what exactly is "abandonment"? Is it when you inappropriately transfer care? Is it when your system fails to respond? What about a scene that becomes unsafe?

Posted Thursday, October 4, 2007

Patient Abandonment: What It Is -- and Isn't

In the field, what exactly is "abandonment"? Is it when you inappropriately transfer care? Is it when your system fails to respond? What about a scene that becomes unsafe?

Posted Thursday, October 4, 2007