After racing lights and sirens for a first party unconscious person, up three flights of stairs and into an open apartment:
“Did you report a life or death emergency?”
Blank stare from occupant with coat and bag.
“No, I called 911.”
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by theHappyMedic: Latest from HMHQ: Blink. Blink. http://happymedic.com/2010/02/19/blink-blink/...
[...] Did you report a life or death emergency? (Happy Medic) [...]
Don't worry Johnny, one day we'll be recognized as a profession rather than a trade, just you wait.
.jpg)
 This blog is part of the Emergency Services Ad Network. For marketing opportunities, please click here |
As I have observed during my tenure in the fire service Fire Chiefs are always under scrutiny. Due… (more)
Rob has a passion. It is hazardous materials. Within that, he has a passion for the hazardous… (more)
The “Rules” were formally adopted by the IAFC Health, Safety and Survival Section at the Fire… (more)
No. Freakin. Way.
It's sad that while this sounds ridiculous- after working in the field as shirt as I have I've seen it more often than not. When did people start viewing 911 as a taxi number and not as an emergency service?
*blink blink*
By shirt I mean short, of course. Darn iPhone.
If you were a paramedic in King County you probably would have been canceled before arriving. Now if King County could just figure out how to completely avoid dispatching ALS personnel to such calls…
It would also be nice if the field personnel could listen to the 9-1-1 tapes and give feedback that would improve the fairly brain-dead criteria-based dispatch system.
Well i asked my friend what the local taxi number was and he said this was the fastest way to get someone to give me a ride.
Ridiculous
It's scary isn't it?
Well my friend said this was the local taxi number, he said this would be the fastest service so i don't have to wait long.
Ridiculous
Lol sorry thought it didnt post. Slow computer.
I am confused, isn't 9-1-1 for life and death situations??
*blink* *blink*
If it makes you feel any better. I once had a patient apologize for the non emergency, thank me for responding, and give a reasonable explanation why he wanted an ambulance, and why he had no other means of transport.
I was, for a short time, a, “GASP” dispatcher / EMD. The ridiculous brainlessness, of reading card responses, is so ludicrous.. it is the root cause, fear of lawsuits has superseded common sense.
It's nearly “If you've been shot press 1, Stabbed press 2, if you are dead press 3,”
Once, when I was off duty in Mesa Az, I witnessed a Car / Pedestrian accident, right in front of me, like a fool I dialed 911, and informed dispatch that I was an off duty medic, and exactly what response would be needed, and to place a helicopter on standby, the dispatcher stopped me, and started reading me the crap off the cards, when I tried to explain things the dispatcher said ” Sir, try to calm down, help is on the way just stay on the phone with me.” Since a person was dying in front of me, I felt their needs a priority, So I hung up on the dispatcher, who immediately called me back and repeated the “Try to remain calm sir ” line, I handed my phone to someone else…… as long as dispatchers are expected to not think and ONLY follow protocol we will have these problems..
If you are NOT a Dispatcher don't try to dispatch from the street, it offends us & makes us mad. Actually no one should dispatch from the street, because they don't actually know what resources are available, leave the dispatching to the Dispatcher – that is their job.
Just because you are a Medic doesn't mean we as Call Evaluators/Dispatchers are allowed to treat you any differently then Joe Citizen when you call 9-1-1, if you don't want to speak to us then delegate the job to someone else, and go save a life.
I guess I should send you a copy of my EMD card. I guess you didn't get my
point , the sad thing is, you're absolutely right, dispatchers are not
allowed to treat things differently even though they know the situation, all
they are allowed to do is read the cards, period. I worked in dispatch for
AMR and came to the conclusion that in spite of it being a CYA thing,
designed by so called “experts”, the whole flip card thing is a joke, ask
any street medic, if all you do is “follow protocol blindly” you will kill
people, the current system doesn't allow Dispatchers to think at all, only
follow cards so “no mistakes are made.” The real motive behind the card
reading situation is to give the system an out “we followed protocol so it's
not our fault” is the primary motive, not any improvement in health care.
You as a dispatcher, should want some room to think, if not we should just
get rid of dispatch and install a computerized answering system, I can hear
it now “Please enter your address, followed by the pound sign.”
What should offend you and make you mad is a system that FORCES you to read
cards at people when you KNOW it's not the right thing to do……..
As to 911 abuse.. I once had a call to a drugstore for “vaginal bleeding” Upon arrival I found the “patient” was having her regular menstrual cycle, and had no money for tampons. Truthfully, I felt sorry for her in such an embarrassing situation. We transported her to the nearest facility where the charge nurse, after hearing my report, gave her a spare out of her purse and let her sign out AMA…. “Emergency” is a matter of perspective to HER that was a real emergency.
You and I have a difference of opinion, and that is okay. No matter what I say it won't change your mind.
I use the EMD cards every day, and yes there is a lot of CYA, but those cards are designed for non-medically trained personal to triage a medical emergency over the phone while speaking to another non-medically trained personnel. When medically trained personnel use the EMD cards, they tend to try and diagnose and treat the patient while on the phone with them, and that doesn't work very because to treat someone you need to use all 5 senses and be near them not just go off what you have heard.
I don't follow the EMD card blindly, I use them correctly and no one has died directly from my call triaging. There is plenty of room in those EMD cards to think, while still CYA.
Obviously from working in your Dispatch Centre, you have been given a sour taste for Dispatch, but please don't take it all out on Dispatch. Dispatch is not the root of the problem. The system is broken, and there is a huge band-aid on it. We as professionals need to fix the system up from the ground up.
If you have a better way of triaging EMS calls, you better start developing and marketing it to the world. EMD is used all over the world not just in North America, it a world-renowned system that is use by several major EMS agency in the world.
I think I spent my entire career in EMS arguing with dispatchers… LOL
Well maybe it is time that you stop arguing with Dispatch, and work with them to make things work for everyone.
Dispatchers and Medics need to stop the 'them against us' mentality if we are ever going to fix anything.
But I'm Italian we love to argue
And I am Canadian … we are everyone friend
I think I spent my entire career in EMS arguing with dispatchers… LOL
Well maybe it is time that you stop arguing with Dispatch, and work with them to make things work for everyone.
Dispatchers and Medics need to stop the 'them against us' mentality if we are ever going to fix anything.
But I'm Italian we love to argue
And I am Canadian … we are everyone friend
thats why us dispatchers get paid the big bucks to sit and listen to crews moan and grown about posting plans and what not
It is practically a job requirement. Everything starts and ends with Dispatch.