# EMT Drivers using GPS Navigators



## Vanenix (Sep 17, 2010)

Ok I just got the job today as an Ambulance EMT Driver. I am worried about the mapping on how to reach on my destination especially if you are not familiar of the road. I know all Ambulance Companies have there Thomas Guide Map Book in there Ambulance. I did use it but it is kinda complicated for me to get from one place to another especially if you do not know where you are. I've also noticed that it consumes more time especially if are handling Emergency Calls. I've seen some Ambulance Companies start using GPS however some people said that GPS is sometimes not accurate and it would lead you to wrong direction. I am new in this Ambulance Driver field. Is there any suggestion that you could give? I am going to buy the Navigator tomorrow, and at the same time I know how to use the Thomas Guide. I am just worried because I do not want to screwed up driving to the wrong address while my patient is waiting for me on the scene and dieing which could cause delay in case. Thank you.


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## Shishkabob (Sep 17, 2010)

Yes, there are times that a GPS unit can put you to the wrong location, almost exclusively do to a mispelling of your intended destination.


Yes, I've used GPS on 911 calls.  



Just enter it in to your unit and drive, and have your partner confirm it using a map.


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## JPINFV (Sep 17, 2010)

Having worked in Orange County and Long Beach area using Thomas Guides and then moving to Massachusetts for grad school and working 6 months over there and using GPS, here's my take.

GPS:

Pros: Useful from day 1. Easy to use, easy to program.

Cons: Can't be updated (you can draw on a map). 
You don't really learn the area. 
You don't learn short cuts and alternative routes.
Can make mistakes or lose signal.

Maps:
Pro: You can see alternative routes as you're routing yourself.
Can mark additions.
Makes it easier to learn the area since you can see what's around you as you route.

Con:
Can be hard if you're not used to reading maps.
Takes time to be locally proficient. 
Harder to update.


Personally, I'd take a map over GPS any day. The first month or so is painful, but you will pickup the freeway system. You will pick up the facilities your company normally responds/transports to. You will pick up the major streets. It just takes time. Once you do pick it up, you'll be faster than GPS because you already know how to get to where you need to go. 



Note: Before anyone says it, saying, "Just drive your area on your day off" doesn't work in a large geographic area like Southern California where you might be anywhere in a 700+sq mile block of continuous development.


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## bstone (Sep 17, 2010)

Can't update GPS maps? Of course you can. Mine bugs me all the time saying it needs to be updated, and my GPS is from 2007.

GPS is a great idea as long as the address gets in there correctly. Save the addresses of the hospitals and select them by name when headed to them.

There is always going to be a failure. Let it not be getting lost.


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## Shishkabob (Sep 17, 2010)

JPINFV said:


> Note: Before anyone says it, saying, "Just drive your area on your day off" doesn't work in a large geographic area like Southern California where you might be anywhere in a 700+sq mile block of continuous development.



Or anywhere in the DFW area that has 12 counties, making up 8,000 sq Mi...bigger than Rhode Island and Con. combined.


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## JPINFV (Sep 17, 2010)

bstone said:


> Can't update GPS maps? Of course you can. Mine bugs me all the time saying it needs to be updated, and my GPS is from 2007.



I bet I can add a street easier and cheaper to a map than to a GPS unit.


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## bstone (Sep 17, 2010)

JPINFV said:


> I bet I can add a street easier and cheaper to a map than to a GPS unit.



I'll bet you a chair.


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## Shishkabob (Sep 17, 2010)

I bet you an ink pen that I can too.


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## the_negro_puppy (Sep 17, 2010)

I use GPS all the time. All of our ambulances are fitted with them. I find them 95% reliable and always have a mapbook ready to use in conjunction.


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## clibb (Sep 17, 2010)

Our dispatch sends us map which is lined to our location. They also tell us at what section on our county map that the location is (i.e, I32A2) and then we find the location or short cuts to take in case something would block our way.


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## MrBrown (Sep 17, 2010)

We use a big thick Wises map book which are pretty good except for a blind bugger like Brown.

Many Officers have thier own GPS units they bring in and put in the vehicle.


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## firecoins (Sep 17, 2010)

Yes, a GPS can be reprogramed and updated to show new roads or better routes.


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## 94H (Sep 17, 2010)

I'm one of the few people who isnt native to the area I work in, so I swear by the GPS. That being said there are some Medics who wont let me use it and just navigate me themselves.

The only time we ever had a problem with the GPS was when it decided to take us on a "shortcut" (dirt road) instead of the highway.


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## Cohn (Sep 17, 2010)

Man out here in rural Arizona our GPS has never failed us. Dirt roads are fun to drive 80% of our calls involves dirt roads or two tracks.


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## Akulahawk (Sep 17, 2010)

IMHO, if you DO use a GPS unit, use a map for a while to also map out what YOU think the best route should be. The compare the two. After a while, you'll find that YOU know the local traffic patterns better than the GPS does and YOU will know where the commonly transported to locations are and how to get there from ANYWHERE as long as you know where you are on the map. For a long time, I was familiar enough with the San Jose Metro area that as long as I had a TG page and grid number, I could drive to the right general area without looking at the map. I only needed guidance in for about the last mile or so... And since I drove to the area, I was able to also plan my trip towards the destination without using the map or GPS.


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## Simusid (Sep 17, 2010)

I've lived in our small-ish (20k people) town for 35 years and there are still quite a few obscure little streets that I don't know about.   We have GPS in both trucks.  It helps me at 3 in the morning to distinguish "Oban Way" from "Obannon Place".

GPS also helps with house numbers on those longer roads.  "you have arrived at your destination, on the right"


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## LucidResq (Sep 17, 2010)

I agree with Akula's advice. I bet doing that will also prevent you from becoming overly dependent on the GPS and help you learn how to use the maps. 

I'd also suggest learning as much about how the streets are laid out in your area as you can. Most places are set up on some sort of grid, and if you learn more about how the streets are numbered, named and such, you can start cracking the code and find where you're going much more easily. 

Using this system I can easily find many locations without even looking at a map or anything like that. For example, around here we have a hundred-block system. A grocery store is located at 655 N. Main St. I know that the hundred-block for Main St. is 12100 E, meaning it is 121 blocks East of the 000 block, which is like the Y axis.

 The address of the grocery store tells me where it is located on Example St... 655 means it's between 6-7 blocks North of the other 000 street, the X axis. I know that the 600 block is Something Ave, and that the 700 block is Example Ave. So I know that 655 N. Main St. is located on Main St. between Example and Something. 

Since I have all of the major streets and their corresponding hundred blocks memorized, I also know where all of these streets are in relation to a single central location. Our city also follows NOW SEE rule - Odd numbered addresses are located on either the North or West side of the street (depending on which direction it runs) and Even addresses are on the the South or East side. 655 N. Main St. must be located on the West side since the street runs North/South. 

Of course, this may not be how your city is set up, and there are always exceptions to the rules: roads that don't run through, crazy curvy roads and such. But most cities have some sort of rhyme or reason that can help you predict where an address or intersection will be. My suggestion would be to ask around and see if any of your coworkers are aware of such a system. I've also found that cops tend to be great resources for this kind of stuff, since they tend to be out on the street more than EMS or Fire and usually have excellent knowledge of local geography.


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## dixie_flatline (Sep 17, 2010)

I tend to agree with 94H.  I've been wishing for awhile that a GPS would come out that was learning/semi-learning.  So you could tell it "yes I know taking these 5 suburban streets is shorter, but if I go 3 more blocks down I can take the Big Road and go straight through" and then it would know to do that from now on.  As far as I can tell, even the GPS units that offer multiple routes or quick detour/rerouting don't "learn" anything.


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## Too Old To Work (Sep 17, 2010)

There are some distinct advantages to using a GPS, especially if you cover a large area. Like any other piece of technology it has to be used with some degree of caution and a lot of common sense. Of course there is no reason that you can't use both, one as primary, one as back up. 

Updating the GPS is neccesary, especially if you are in an area that is expanding rapidly. OTOH, if your coverage area is pretty stable in regards to new roads and sub developments,  you can probably go the life of the device (figure 2-3 years) without paying for an update. The technology of consuming grade GPS devices is advancing rapidly, so as with a cell phone a 2-3 year replacement cycle is pretty reasonable. 

If you have a computer mounted in your ambulance or if you use an ePCR system and the hardware has surplus capability, you can use that as well. The advantage there being that it's easier to update. The disadvantage being that it's still hard to get state or regional maps, so you'll likely end up with something that covers the entire US. 

If you're really lucky and you have mobile CAD in your ambulances (which is rare in EMS) all of the new systems offer mapping with route planning (automatically) as an option. 

I'd say that the GPS is going to be one of those "must have" pieces of technology within a few years. Wasn't there a recent incident in part of NYC where neither EMS nor suppression had current paper maps and the response was delayed?


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## 94H (Sep 17, 2010)

Too Old To Work said:


> I'd say that the GPS is going to be one of those "must have" pieces of technology within a few years. Wasn't there a recent incident in part of NYC where neither EMS nor suppression had current paper maps and the response was delayed?



Your right, the only problem is that the company needs to update the units.

At my place one of the major roads isnt on the GPS as it is too "new"


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## Too Old To Work (Sep 17, 2010)

94H said:


> Your right, the only problem is that the company needs to update the units.
> 
> At my place one of the major roads isnt on the GPS as it is too "new"



We have the same problem. Apparently when the genius that came up with the idea came up with the idea, she didn't do enough research to find out that the units are supposed to be updated. Ideally that's annually, but for Garmin, the coast is enough that you can buy a new unit every other year for the cost of two updates. A bunch of us in the field suggested just putting the software on existing mobile computers, but that was just tooooooo simple. 

Besides, she's cute and I'm not, so they liked her idea better.


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## 94H (Sep 17, 2010)

We're still working on getting laptops in the trucks (going on 3 years), but all of our trucks used to be/are mobile hotspots. Only problem is the company locked the internet because they felt they were paying too much. 

It used to be a breeze to just google map your way to a call and probably cheaper then the GPS (taking into account all the "professional" mounting and such)

The mounting reminded me, we have them put in horrible places where you actually need to take your eyes off the road to look at them (another genius idea)


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## mct601 (Sep 17, 2010)

I absolutely hate our Garmin. It knows nothing. I use it to get me in the DIRECTION and the real time map on it, and thats about it. I need to get a map of the county and start mapping the locations myself, but the problem is our county is so vast, some streets I would have a hard time finding quickly on a map.


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## firecoins (Sep 17, 2010)

Garmin is the best.  It allows you to compare the closest hospitals.


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## Cohn (Sep 18, 2010)

Garmin GPS units are the best...


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## mct601 (Sep 18, 2010)

They are... for POV use.


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## abckidsmom (Sep 18, 2010)

LucidResq said:


> I agree with Akula's advice. I bet doing that will also prevent you from becoming overly dependent on the GPS and help you learn how to use the maps.
> 
> I'd also suggest learning as much about how the streets are laid out in your area as you can. Most places are set up on some sort of grid, and if you learn more about how the streets are numbered, named and such, you can start cracking the code and find where you're going much more easily.
> 
> ...





mct601 said:


> I absolutely hate our Garmin. It knows nothing. I use it to get me in the DIRECTION and the real time map on it, and thats about it. I need to get a map of the county and start mapping the locations myself, but the problem is our county is so vast, some streets I would have a hard time finding quickly on a map.



I posted in your other thread, but what Lucid said here is what I meant to fully explain to you.  You can't know every street, but if you intentionally study your map and learn the patterns, you will find the streets easier.  

Is there an ADC mapbook of your area?  I find those to be the easiest maps in the world to use.  I love when dispatch uses those and dispatches with the map grid in an ADC book.  Very much easier than any other map I've used.

And FTR, I turn the GPS off at the start of shift and never use it.  The time spent entering the address into the gps could be spent using the map to make a plan, and once you develop your map skills, the map is much more reliable.


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## Amycus (Sep 18, 2010)

Yes, I'm a newer EMT using a GPS all the freaking time.

Do I get crap from my coworkers about it? Yep, sure do. Plenty of "You should know the streets better" and the occasional "You DON'T know how to get there?"

The inverse though...

Have I ever had to ask dispatch for a cross street, nearby intersection or landmark? Nope. Have I ever had to have dispatch verify the address number because I forgot it? Nope. Have I ever shown up at the wrong end of a major street because I wasn't sure which end an address was on? Nope.

There's pros and cons. I've definately been in the passenger seat, and if I didn't plug the address into my GPS, we would have taken a very very wrong direction from a partner that "Knew where he was going"

On a side note, on the whole main roads vs side roads/shortcuts, when I'm driving a slightly larger than normal vehicle, I'd rather stick to larger main roads whenever possible. Easier for traffic to get out of the way/pull around people, and even in worse traffic, less chance of the road being plugged off entirely.


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## MrBrown (Sep 18, 2010)

Local knowledge beats a map or  a GPS hands down 100:1

The Auckland metroplex is one of the worlds largest cities by land area in that it is all one proper jurisdiction and its impossible to know it all.  Gosh I feel sorry for the relief pool of Officers who get shunted all over the metro stations with no clue where they are!


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## CAOX3 (Sep 18, 2010)

I think they re great, now if I could only get that chick in the GPS to drive we would be on to something.


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## MrBrown (Sep 18, 2010)

CAOX3 said:


> I think they re great, now if I could only get that chick in the GPS to drive we would be on to something.



Better than Brown driving thats a fact


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## firecoins (Sep 18, 2010)

MrBrown said:


> Local knowledge beats a map or  a GPS hands down 100:1
> 
> !



That great if you do 911 in an area you know.  If you do IFT over a larger are, there is no such thing as local knowledge.


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## JPINFV (Sep 18, 2010)

firecoins said:


> That great if you do 911 in an area you know.  If you do IFT over a larger are, there is no such thing as local knowledge.



I'd disagree with that. After working a few months I knew the freeway system like the back of my hand, where 95% of the posting spots, dialysis clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes were that we regularly went to. The majority of the remaining 5% could be jogged out of my memory just by seeing the map page that they were on.


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## Shishkabob (Sep 18, 2010)

JPINFV said:


> I'd disagree with that. After working a few months I knew the freeway system like the back of my hand, where 95% of the posting spots, dialysis clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes were that we regularly went to. The majority of the remaining 5% could be jogged out of my memory just by seeing the map page that they were on.



... I do IFT the square mileage of 2 states. 

Not as easy for me ^_^


Granted I know the major hospitals, and how to get to one from the other, but that's about it.  When it comes to an emergency call, my EMT is driving and I'm in the back so I don't have much of a chance of seeing what's where


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## LonghornMedic (Sep 19, 2010)

I prefer an old school map book. Now our map pages are in the computer. I use it to get a general idea of where we are going, then reference it as we get closer. But GPS directions can be unreliable and can be slow to keep up with our quick pace.


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## njff/emt (Sep 19, 2010)

i use my personal gps at my ift job, pretty reliable except it tried to have go into dead ends afew times., i also remembered how to get to and from some places without it too.


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## firecoins (Sep 19, 2010)

JPINFV said:


> I'd disagree with that. After working a few months I knew the freeway system like the back of my hand, where 95% of the posting spots, dialysis clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes were that we regularly went to. The majority of the remaining 5% could be jogged out of my memory just by seeing the map page that they were on.



Unfortunatly I do not have the back of your hand with me or anything like it.  I respond to too many places to remember them all.  

Major highways are fine for me w/o the GPS for getting from town to town but local roads always kill me.


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## MusicMedic (Sep 20, 2010)

Two Words: Google Maps!!!!

Best of both worlds, You get the Map Book view, with Gps tracking, i use it all the time, after a while i start to learn the area. 

plus it has traffic updates, and here in SoCal, traffic tends to be a problem, so i can find alternate routes using the map

my only gripe about Google Maps is it dosnt really show clearly the on/off ramps of freeways as the thomas guide does


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## jjesusfreak01 (Sep 20, 2010)

I think the Marvlis mapping system works pretty well. It runs on the Toughbooks, so you get a very large overhead map view like you are looking at an actual map, and it can simply guide you, follow you along, or you can just look at the route it gives and do your own thing.


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## Julma (Sep 27, 2010)

I work in small 12000 habitants town, so all the nursing homes etc. are really easy to learn in few days without any maps or so. 

Problem lies in huge area those 12000 people are scattered to. There are lots of roads that you cant find from maps, they may even have no official address. 

Local knowledge is the best way to find there, second best thing is to ask proper instructions, use google maps before leaving and follow map while going. Few minutes or so lost in the beginning aren´t that bad when you at least know where you´re going.


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## Emtpbill (Sep 27, 2010)

We have MDT's in our trucks so that when we get a call it automatically come to the MDT. When that info is recieved it also crosses over to the same program the county uses for mapping and the built in GPS over the computer auto updates as we move. So it updates to whatever the county has. 
     Also the mapping tells me wherever the other units are in proximity.   When I got my medic in 97 there were no personal GPS units to be had and u had to use a map.  Maps are great backups. But that's what the. Are now, backups to GPS.


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## princessretard (Oct 10, 2010)

*gps's are great!*

yes! you can definitely use a gps while in an ambulance. i know they take some time to turn on so just have it all set up and on for when you get a call you just type in the address and go. you can go and update your gps anytime you want so that if theres construction and detours and such in your area just update it online and your gps should know the streets that are open and closed and such.

i've been an emt for only one year and have always used my gps. most of my partners have a gps as well. i know some ambulance companies actually provide gps for the trucks. so feel free to use yours. reading an actual map can be overwhelming for someone who doesnt know where they are to begin with and has some trouble with reading maps and are driving while the other person's in the back.

good luck.


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## reaper (Oct 10, 2010)

princessretard said:


> yes! you can definitely use a gps while in an ambulance. i know they take some time to turn on so just have it all set up and on for when you get a call you just type in the address and go. you can go and update your gps anytime you want so that if theres construction and detours and such in your area just update it online and your gps should know the streets that are open and closed and such.
> 
> i've been an emt for only one year and have always used my gps. most of my partners have a gps as well. i know some ambulance companies actually provide gps for the trucks. so feel free to use yours. *reading an actual map can be overwhelming for someone who doesnt know where they are to begin with and has some trouble with reading maps and are driving while the other person's in the back.*
> good luck.



This is exactly the problem nowadays. If you can not read a map, then you need to learn how. I do not let new hires use a GPS, until they can prove vast knowledge of map reading. If you do not learn how, then you will never know. What happens when the satellites go down and GPS is not working?


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## princessretard (Oct 10, 2010)

reaper said:


> This is exactly the problem nowadays. If you can not read a map, then you need to learn how. I do not let new hires use a GPS, until they can prove vast knowledge of map reading. If you do not learn how, then you will never know. What happens when the satellites go down and GPS is not working?



true enough. it is very important to know how to read a map. it's a lifesaver when you're trying to find your way out of somewhere new or trying to find someone's residence in emergent or non-emergent calls. there's two people in the truck so hopefully one of them knows how to use a map if need be. maybe the truck has fleet eyes and you can call dispatch for directions as to where to find a place or get back on the main roads or something. 

wheni started working as an emt, my supervisor was training me and we were talking about using gps and maps and knowing my way around our area. he said that he had no problem with my using a gps but to start off it'd be great if i went without it and tried learning the streets and how to find the hospital on my own and if i were to loose my way then to pull out the map before the gps. he did encourage his trainees to read maps or at least have an understanding of them rather than just jump for the gps at first. so i get where you coming from.

still, a gps is a great invention, my friend.


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