Easternemt
Forum Crew Member
- 61
- 0
- 6
Sooooo uuhhh this all looks intimidating, does this mean if I get hired I will be a bad driver ?
Definitely a rookie here.
Definitely a rookie here.
Do you need GPS for a 911 job?
- Thread starter patzyboi
- Start date
- 9,736
- 1,174
- 113
What? How does using a GPS and mapping correlate to your driving skills?
Driver drives, partner maps.
Easternemt
Forum Crew Member
- 61
- 0
- 6
Oooohhhhh okay! I thought the driver is in charge of both.
My county dispatches over the radio and via pager. You get call info, physical address + cross streets and a Thomas guide map page w/ grid reference. e.g. Medic 33 respond Priority 1, Code 3 to a 22 Year old Male, breathing difficulty etc at 123 Fake street, cross of water and ocean, map page 85, G 4.
So you have the address if you want to GPS it and the map book page and grids if you want to use that. Your partner will help map you in and then you just have to find your way back out. It wont take to long to learn the best ways to get to the Hospitals in your service area, so that part generally isn't too bad. You'll have time before you transport to check a map, and if you really are out in the ulu you can ASK FIRE. They know the area better than you and they'll be able to get you to a main road. Take your time to figure out where you're going. Ask questions on scene if you're not sure. your partner would rather you take an extra 90 seconds on scene to make sure you don't get lost.
So you have the address if you want to GPS it and the map book page and grids if you want to use that. Your partner will help map you in and then you just have to find your way back out. It wont take to long to learn the best ways to get to the Hospitals in your service area, so that part generally isn't too bad. You'll have time before you transport to check a map, and if you really are out in the ulu you can ASK FIRE. They know the area better than you and they'll be able to get you to a main road. Take your time to figure out where you're going. Ask questions on scene if you're not sure. your partner would rather you take an extra 90 seconds on scene to make sure you don't get lost.
rmabrey
Forum Asst. Chief
- 854
- 2
- 18
Just worry about getting uour partner to the hospital using a halfway efficient route and you'll be good to go
Easternemt
Forum Crew Member
- 61
- 0
- 6
MSDeltaFlt
RRT/NRP
- 1,422
- 35
- 48
The rural and impoverished state/area I live and work my company has a policy that GPS is never to be followed. It will get you lost faster than going without it. I've seen it happen too many times to count. We go old school and use maps. Now I'll use Google Maps on my phone, but never GPS. Ever.
- 9,736
- 1,174
- 113
Absolutely not.
If you're driving me and I catch you doing anything other than driving you're gonna be in trouble. Especially if its when I'm in the back, unbelted, with a patient.
We all wanna go home at the end of the day
Easternemt
Forum Crew Member
- 61
- 0
- 6
Absolutely not.
If you're driving me and I catch you doing anything other than driving you're gonna be in trouble. Especially if its when I'm in the back, unbelted, with a patient.
We all wanna go home at the end of the day
Oohhhh ok I was unsure of that! Thanks
abckidsmom
Dances with Patients
- 3,380
- 5
- 36
Amen. I knew my partner was following the GPS directions when the hospital showed up in the rear windows of the ambulance.
Avoid following GPS directions if at all possible.
That said, I do see new people learn the area better if the GPS is on in the window, and they have one more visual representation of the map going by as we drive.
Jim37F
Forum Deputy Chief
- 4,323
- 2,912
- 113
In my non emergency IFT service we tend to rely on GPS. Although by now I can get to Cedars, PIH, either of the Glendales and most of the Kaisers from pretty much anywhere in the county lol. It's the hole in the wall SNFs I usually use the GPS for, though I'll pretty my h always double check Google Maps on my phone before leaving, and have learned to follow that over the GPS especially when one of the last times I just blindly followed the old *** Garmin in our truck we got stuck in a wall of traffic taking nearly an hour before we finally got to the freeway -_- and not too long ago I was attending when the GPS just went crazy and my partner had to pull over and ask me to map it on my phone!
So yeah, I have a nice new laminated 2013 edition Thomas Guide for a reason
IMO, when working properly, a GPS can help you see a birds eye view if your immediate area and help you learn it, though its only one such tool, one that should never be relied in alone. A good, current paper map can work wonders.
So yeah, I have a nice new laminated 2013 edition Thomas Guide for a reason
IMO, when working properly, a GPS can help you see a birds eye view if your immediate area and help you learn it, though its only one such tool, one that should never be relied in alone. A good, current paper map can work wonders.
Easternemt
Forum Crew Member
- 61
- 0
- 6
Absolutely not.
If you're driving me and I catch you doing anything other than driving you're gonna be in trouble. Especially if its when I'm in the back, unbelted, with a patient.
We all wanna go home at the end of the day
How about if the Emt driving is in an area he/she doesn't know, and the paramedic is in the back working on the patient; will it then be the EMT's responsibility to figure out how to get to the hospital ?
DesertMedic66
Forum Troll
- 11,299
- 3,470
- 113
Map yourself to the hospital before you start moving. If you must look at the map when you are driving pull over.
Easternemt
Forum Crew Member
- 61
- 0
- 6
Ok got it thanks.
DrParasite
The fire extinguisher is not just for show
- 6,251
- 2,134
- 113
Wow, the anti GPS crowd is strong here.....
I used to work in a city that was 6 square miles, and i always brought my GPS to work. the agency didn't supply them (too cheap). Did I know my way around the city? yep. if dispatch gave me an address and cross streets (and that is a big if, and it's a crap shoot if the cross streets are accurate), would I end up at my destination, without using a GPS? absolutely.
However we have streets that change names 3 times over a 4 block span, streets that are interrupted by a park, a residential development, or a deadend, and we have a couple of new streets that aren't on the map (yet), and that's all in the south end of the city that is laid out like a grid.
In the north, they don't believe in 90 degree turns at intersections, so it's very easy to miss a turn and end up several blocks from where you wanted to be, despite having step by step directions.
At night, how easy is it to find a house that isn't numbered well?
Like I said before, I love my GPS, and almost always put the address of where we were going before shifting into drive. Than I looked at the directions it gave me, and headed out. Could I have gone without it? sure, but it's much easier when it points out what street to turn onto, instead of trying to see the street sign at night and guessing if it's a left or a right turn.
Plus, if you end up transporting to an unusual destination, you have the magic box telling you were to go (been there, done that), instead of having to fumble with the map while driving or relying on your partner giving you directions while he or she is trying to treat the patient. And the GPS is much better at planning alternate routes, especially when faced with unexpected construction or detours.
But always have a back up or 2 in case the GPS fails, and make sure you learn your primary area.
I used to work in a city that was 6 square miles, and i always brought my GPS to work. the agency didn't supply them (too cheap). Did I know my way around the city? yep. if dispatch gave me an address and cross streets (and that is a big if, and it's a crap shoot if the cross streets are accurate), would I end up at my destination, without using a GPS? absolutely.
However we have streets that change names 3 times over a 4 block span, streets that are interrupted by a park, a residential development, or a deadend, and we have a couple of new streets that aren't on the map (yet), and that's all in the south end of the city that is laid out like a grid.
In the north, they don't believe in 90 degree turns at intersections, so it's very easy to miss a turn and end up several blocks from where you wanted to be, despite having step by step directions.
At night, how easy is it to find a house that isn't numbered well?
Like I said before, I love my GPS, and almost always put the address of where we were going before shifting into drive. Than I looked at the directions it gave me, and headed out. Could I have gone without it? sure, but it's much easier when it points out what street to turn onto, instead of trying to see the street sign at night and guessing if it's a left or a right turn.
Plus, if you end up transporting to an unusual destination, you have the magic box telling you were to go (been there, done that), instead of having to fumble with the map while driving or relying on your partner giving you directions while he or she is trying to treat the patient. And the GPS is much better at planning alternate routes, especially when faced with unexpected construction or detours.
But always have a back up or 2 in case the GPS fails, and make sure you learn your primary area.
the_negro_puppy
Forum Asst. Chief
- 897
- 0
- 0
99% of the time GPS get us to the right spot quickly. We have a map backup and also good local knowledge of our areas.
Be not afraid.
Be not afraid.
Chris07
Competent in Incompetence
- 342
- 62
- 28
GPS = great for IFTs.
As for 911 I think it's a great back up, especially when you're going to some tiny little street that's buried under text in the map book.
When driving to the hospital on a 911 I tend to use the GPS to get me out to a major street when I'm buried in a maze of residential streets. When I hit the major streets I'm familiar with I just shut it off.
As for 911 I think it's a great back up, especially when you're going to some tiny little street that's buried under text in the map book.
When driving to the hospital on a 911 I tend to use the GPS to get me out to a major street when I'm buried in a maze of residential streets. When I hit the major streets I'm familiar with I just shut it off.
If you want to be the best you have to know your district. Every street. Seems less time on couch and more driving around familiarizing ones self to the areas we are responsible for is a lost art now with GPS. Seems tome there is Much higher instance of lodd secondary to Mva since these backseat drivers came out.
Melclin
Forum Deputy Chief
- 1,796
- 4
- 0
Like they're the only two options...whats wrong with a map?
I'll admit, I've recently taken to using google maps because dispatch has been giving us the wrong map references lately for some reason. But you really do need to know how to navigate properly.
In addition to what others have said, taking 2 mins to plan a decent route can save 5, 10, 20 mins and is way more important than the L/S stuff. You can drive will all the sirens & speed you want, but if you go the long way, you're ganna get there a lot slower.
NomadicMedic
I know a guy who knows a guy.
- 12,169
- 6,906
- 113
For what it's worth, our service area is close to a thousand square miles. We cover that with eight medic units and paramedics who seldom work in the same district. We use mapping on our CAD, which provides routing and very precise addressing. We also have a tom-tom GPS as a backup in each medic unit and map books, which very rarely are used.
After you've worked in an area for a while, you can usually start heading in the right direction just by hearing cross streets. But there are several areas in no mans land where, without the CAD, you would be totally lost. Map books and the GPS are mostly useless.
I'll pull out a mapbook every now and then, just so I don't forget how to use it.
After you've worked in an area for a while, you can usually start heading in the right direction just by hearing cross streets. But there are several areas in no mans land where, without the CAD, you would be totally lost. Map books and the GPS are mostly useless.
I'll pull out a mapbook every now and then, just so I don't forget how to use it.