Austin-Travis County (TX) EMS Earns Award for Dispatch Excellence

A collage of various Austin Travis County EMS workers.
Images/Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services

Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (ATCEMS) announces its communications center has been recognized by The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAEDTM), as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) for a remarkable 8th time, in emergency medical dispatch.

ATCEMS received its initial recognition as an ACE in 2000, the first emergency communications center in Texas to do so, and has maintained this accreditation (which is re-evaluated every three years) for the last 22 years. Only ten other agencies in the world have achieved such long-standing accreditation, and ATCEMS remains one of only nine ACEs in the state of Texas.

The IAED is the standard-setting organization for emergency dispatch services worldwide, and their protocol-based system- known as the Priority Dispatch SystemTM -is recognized as the standard of care and practice for emergency dispatch, and is used in 46 countries by over 3,500 emergency communications centers. The ATCEMS Communications Center is the only public safety department in Austin & Travis County that utilizes a Priority Dispatch System, and all ATCEMS Communications Medics are certified in Medical Priority Dispatch (MPD).

Accreditation (and subsequent re-accreditation) from the IAED is the highest distinction given to emergency communication centers. Centers who earn ACE status are the embodiment of dispatch done right, and have demonstrated strong local oversight, rigorous quality assurance and quality improvement processes, and a commitment to data-driven continuous improvement.

“Accreditation is truly a pinnacle achievement,” said Christof Chwojka, Accreditation Board Chair at IAED. “We applaud the dedicated call-takers, dispatchers, and leadership team at ATCEMS, for their commitment to quality, and for meeting that high standard that few achieve. We know their community can count on these first, first responders to do an outstanding job.”

ATCEMS has been a consistent industry leader in both prehospital medicine and emergency communications, each playing vitally important roles that make the organization one of the best in the world. ATCEMS communications medics use MPD protocols developed by IAED along with additional call triage protocols developed by the Austin-Travis Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO), giving them the ability to provide immediate, accurate, evidence-based medical care to patients over the phone.

“I am incredibly proud of the emergency communications professionals at ATCEMS. Our 911 call-takers and dispatchers represent the best of the best, and are truly our heroes behind the headsets,” said ATCEMS Division Chief Brian Bregenzer. “They’re speaking with people during the worst moments of their lives. They provide first line, often lifesaving care to our patients, and they do it all over the phone.”

Aside from the certifications required for ACE eligibility, all ATCEMS communications medics are sworn ATCEMS personnel, and are certified emergency medical providers with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

“Austin-Travis County EMS is the finest EMS system in the world, and our communications professionals are an integral part of what makes us great,” said ATCEMS Chief Robert Luckritz. “These selfless prehospital providers represent the calm in the storm for our patients. They face unimaginable challenges on a daily basis, and do so with grace and resilience. Our entire community should be proud of them, I certainly am.”

For more than 40 years, the IAED has been the standard-setting organization for emergency dispatch and response services worldwide and is the leading body of emergency dispatch experts. Gaining IAED Accreditation is the culmination of a lengthy, arduous process that includes the completion of the 20 Points of Accreditation, a detailed evaluation of performance by industry experts, and a final review and ruling by IAED.

“Not only did our communications medics uphold the high standards set forth by IAED, but they did so during two plus years of a pandemic, and an unprecedented natural disaster, which triggered constantly changing protocols,” said Chief Bregenzer. “In a world that was changing minute to minute, our personnel showed incredible flexibility, tenacity, and adapted on the fly, while still maintaining the highest of standards to keep our community safe.”

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