By BEV DARR
Of the Courier-Post
Beginning Jan. 7, everyone calling 911 in Marion County to report a medical emergency has been provided advice on helping the patient until the First Responders or ambulance crew arrived.
This new service is called the Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) system, and the 911 dispatchers have been trained to provide life-saving instructions to callers, according to Mike Hall, Marion County 911 director.
Hall said the 911 board believes this program, “will greatly enhance the victim’s chances of survival during a serious situation.”
All of the county’s 911 dispatchers have completed extensive classroom training and have received national certification as EMDs. Their training included call-taking, listening skills, proper methods of emergency telephone intervention and a review of pre-arrival assistance in a variety of medical emergencies, including cardiac arrest, stroke, choking, gunshot wounds, head injuries and childbirth.
Instruction are on flip cards that 911 dispatchers can use. The instructions will help the caller to evaluate and pretreat the patient.
Within seconds of calling 911, the dispatchers will not only be offering life-saving instructions but also will be providing detailed information about the patient and conditions to the First Responders and ambulance crews that are en route, Hall said.
The dispatchers were trained under the direction of Dr. Brian Brown, a Hannibal Regional Hospital emergency room physician. The 911 board made the decision to begin EMD training many months ago, Hall said, and the training continued over several months. In the future, the system will involve all public safety responders in the county, including police and fire department First Responders and the Marion County Ambulance District.
The 911 board decided on Jan. 6 to begin the system immediately, Hall said, and it was started the next morning. “We felt like this was a priority for the citizens,” he said. “In Hannibal, we have not had an instance (when a life was saved because of the instructions) in the five weeks, but other places I have worked we have had numerous times when EMD has saved lives.”
He added that “we are not breaking any ground for the region. There are other agencies in the area that have been doing this (including Monroe County), but for Hannibal and Marion County it is a first.” Lewis County is also planning to begin the system, he said.
“It is a standard nationwide,” Hall said. “When people call 911, they expect the dispatcher to be able to provide help.”
The Marion County 911 board is very glad to see the EMD system begin, he said, “because in the past when someone called 911, we simply told the caller help was on the way. That was all we could do, and now even before anybody arrives we are giving instructions.”
The caller is kept on the phone, he said, emphasizing that the caller should not get the wrong idea and think that because he or she is being given instructions about helping the patient, no one is coming. Help is already on the way, from the first minute the call is received, he said.
“When you are having a crisis and calling 911 all you care about is getting somebody there quickly. We want to reassure the public that as soon as we begin getting information, help is on the way. We are just getting other information, so we can help you help the patient.”
Adding that, “it’s a wonderful feeling for us (the 911 board and dispatchers),” Hall explained that, “my people want to help. That is why we are in the business.”
Now, the person calling 911 may be able to save a life, he said. “That is a good feeling. It is a good tool for us. And we now have a zero response time for emergency medical calls.
First Responders with the Hannibal Fire Department are usually there within four minutes, Hall said, but for “the folks in Philadelphia or Taylor or the rural area, if somebody is having chest pains, it may be 10 minutes before the First Responders get there. Now we can give CPR instruction.”
Hall believes, “it is just a matter of time” until “we will have the saves (by the person calling 911).”
Also, he said, “911 does not always end up with a happy ending, but for circumstances where you find a loved one, and they are not breathing. You call 911 and they give you instructions, and the caller is unable to resuscitate the patient, at least you feel like you did everything you could.”