Date: Fri 10-Sep-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

911-dispatch-center

Full Text:

911 Center Hopes To Dispatch Info Along With The Ambulance

BY STEVE BIGHAM

In Newtown, if you dial the 911 dispatch center, you can be sure the person on

the other end will react quickly, ensuring that emergency services respond in

a quick, efficient manner.

However, local dispatchers are not currently trained to provide pre-arrival

assistance for such life-saving methods as CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. In

other words, you're on your own until the ambulance arrives.

But all that is expected to change once town officials make up their mind on

which protocol to adopt. Currently, there are four nationally-recognized

vendors who provide pre-arrival programs, two of which are being considered

for Newtown.

"A dispatch center can save a life if pre-arrival instruction is given," noted

Jim Crouch, head of fire/ambulance dispatch. "It's considered a form of

advanced life support."

The two vendors currently being considered -- Aptco and Powerfone -- each have

successful track records. As part of any contract that might be signed, the

company would provide both protocol and training to dispatchers.

"The training is the key point to this. You say the wrong thing and someone

could be killed," Mr Crouch explained.

The system should be under local medical control, according to Mr Crouch,

although it is not mandated in Connecticut.

The impending decision, which will eventually be made by First Selectman Herb

Rosenthal, comes at a time of transition for the town dispatch center. In the

coming months, the center is expected to be combined with the police dispatch

center to form a two-man team. The center would be located in the basement of

Town Hall South. However, the center will not be set up until after a curtain

drain is installed around the exterior of the building.

Town officials are now deciding when to implement the pre-arrival system. The

sooner the better, said Mr Crouch, who is in favor of the Aptco system. He was

sent to Florida to train. Police dispatchers, however, have already been

trained in the Powerfone system. Mr Crouch said he will be pleased with which

ever plan the town goes with.

"I'm pleased with the way this is going," he said. "Often, EMD [emergency

medical dispatch assistance] is not implemented until after a lawsuit. We're

being progressive."

"It is possible to do it without a two-man system, but it's usually better to

have a two-man center. A one-man dispatch gets very busy and it might be

difficult to give pre-arrival instructions at busy times," Mr Crouch said.

Studies have found that 911 dispatching is the third most stressful job in the

country, trailing only neuro-surgeons and air traffic controllers.

Currently, all local dispatchers are certified as emergency medical

dispatchers, but each would need specific training in the use of either the

Aptco or Powerfone system.

Mr Rosenthal said he is prepared to make a decision, but is waiting for a

final recommendation from the so-called Combined Dispatch Center Committee.

"That decision can be made at any time. If they're waiting for me, they have

to recommend [a vendor] for me," Mr Rosenthal said.

Officials appear to be split on which vendor to go with.

The pre-arrival instruction system includes a detailed "flip-card" which

provides advice for just about every type of incident.

"It might be very simple advice or highly structured, tightly scripted

advice," Mr Crouch said. "These are proven systems."