fast65
Doogie Howser FP-C
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Yes, because I rely solely on the information I get from dispatch. No need to do my own assessment, I'll just ask dispatch what they think I should do for treatment as well...
What Are the Dispatchers Thinking?
- Thread starter MrSalty
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Yes, because I rely solely on the information I get from dispatch. No need to do my own assessment, I'll just ask dispatch what they think I should do for treatment as well...
DesertMedic66
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fast65
Doogie Howser FP-C
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Ooh ok good. I thought I was the only one who did that
Nope, I figure that I'm just there to drive to the hospital
Then there's no reason for someone to be on the phone giving more then a 30 second report. No need for questions that can or can't be answered, send the ambulance and let the people with the tools get to work
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If there's no reason why does EMD exist? Just a question, and before you say it's for laypersons read below.
I understand being frustrated with the questions being an off-duty provider but like someone else said, people lie. There are a lot of EMTs out there with 0 field experience other than the 12-24 hours of ride time they got in class as well.
Now if your talking to one of your own dispatchers and ID yourself along with your employee number it's a different story and I'm right there with you and your frustration.
fast65
Doogie Howser FP-C
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Personally I like to have some sort of idea about what I might be walking into, if that takes another few seconds from someone on the phone, then so be it. I'm no dispatcher, but I imagine that they send an ambulance shortly after the call and then attempt to gather more info after the fact.
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fast65
Doogie Howser FP-C
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Exactly. I was dispatched for an MVA a few weeks ago, dispatch said there was a "trained medical provider" on scene that reported there were 3 patients, one of which was ejected...we got there to find 0 patients. The trained medical provider? He said he wasn't sure where they all went. The person identifying themselves as a healthcare provider may be an EMT that got their cert in the 80's and never used it or it may be an ER doc, either way there's no way for dispatch to know that they are actually competent enough to provide care without their pre-arrival instructions.
EMD was formed to help provide pre-arrival care instructions to people who call 911. The questions they ask aren't just a bunch of BS questions, they're there for a reason, and should be answered. It's nice to know that you're responding to a "52 yo M, respiratory distress after ingesting peanuts, history of peanut allergies" rather than just getting "50's yo male, respiratory distress". That little extra info is great to have and it paints a picture of what I MAY be walking into.
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Seconded. I take dispatch information with a grain of salt, unless its "Stage out of the area"
but it does get you thinking about treatment paths you may need to be heading down.Only ever been in our dispatch center but we have a primary call taker and a primary dispatcher. Once the call taker gets the address it's kicked over to the dispatcher who then dispatches the appropriate unit while the call taker gathers information from the caller.
Too add to that we have an Air Communications Specialist at their own console controlling our HEMS guys and all other area HEMS traffic, but if there's no chopper in the air they will answer calls or dispatch units if we get busy. There's also a supervisor at his own console who will do all of the above if we get busy as well. If it is insane we have the ability to bring in another person to aid in the workload at a separate station. Our dispatch center only does EMS, no Fire or Police, that's at a separate center.
fast65
Doogie Howser FP-C
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Seconded. I take dispatch information with a grain of salt, unless its "Stage out of the area"
Only ever been in our dispatch center but we have a primary call taker and a primary dispatcher. Once the call taker gets the address it's kicked over to the dispatcher who then dispatches the appropriate unit while the call taker gathers information from the caller.
Too add to that we have an Air Communications Specialist at their own console controlling our HEMS guys and all other area HEMS traffic, but if there's no chopper in the air they will answer calls or dispatch units if we get busy. There's also a supervisor at his own console who will do all of the above if we get busy as well. If it is insane we have the ability to bring in another person to aid in the workload at a separate station. Our dispatch center only does EMS, no Fire or Police, that's at a separate center.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't take dispatch information as gospel, but at least it gets you thinking.
adamjh3
Forum Culinary Powerhouse
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Wait, dispatchers give you guys info about the call? We have to fight tooth and nail to get a bed number out of our dispatchers
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It will come out as "Medic XX respond priority 1 to address for chest pain and SOB, map page xx, coordinants #X Apartment Guide page X (if appropriate), to address, map page xx, coordinants #X Apartment Guide page X (if appropriate) at 1545.
Then we get a page on our pagers or phone depending on your favorite flavor with info gathered from the call taker. Usually will contain age/sex of patient chief complaint then onset, hx if present, a gate code if we need it and usually who called it in (pt or 3rd party or PD) usually if PD requests us it will be made clear in the initial radio dispatch that your meeting XX PD on scene.
Shishkabob
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At my old agency, we could ask all the questions we wanted of our dispatchers while going to the call. Granted we were rural, so not only did we have time, but also the need to know further if we should start sending more resources to help out.
At my new agency, they just dispatch, but all the call information is available on the laptops in the truck, including every question asked by EMD and the callers answers.
At my new agency, they just dispatch, but all the call information is available on the laptops in the truck, including every question asked by EMD and the callers answers.
dstevens58
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It's been too many years since I've done EMS Dispatching, but I have more recent information/experience in law enforcement dispatching.
After initial introductions (hi, I'm EMT so-and-so, here's what and where), I could get unit(s) going, then tend to the additional questions I need to ask and update the crews while they are en route to the scene if need be.
After initial introductions (hi, I'm EMT so-and-so, here's what and where), I could get unit(s) going, then tend to the additional questions I need to ask and update the crews while they are en route to the scene if need be.
DesertMedic66
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I would love to get that information. If our pagers work we receive map page grid, C/C (which is hardly ever right, Address, and the fire engine we are responding with. So it is a normal thing to hear "Medic 104, we are at a locked gate".
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Here once the call taker gets an address and the nature of the call they pass it on to the dispatchers and an engine starts rolling. Most of the time the initial dispatch has the EMD code included in it as well, but if the call taker is struggling to get it the engine will still leave and AMR will assign a medic unit to the call as well. You do not waste response time answering the dispatchers questions. Answering the questions ensures that that the responding units don't get diverted and that ambulance is sent priority as well. The crews appreciate having some information too.
LucidResq
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I took a call from a nurse at an urgent care center for a 20 year old male, c/c: difficulty breathing.
Me: "do you have any idea what's going on? " (trying to get a general idea - asthma? anxiety attack?)
RN: "no but the PA is starting to intubate him."
Me: "Ok they're on the way bye." (I now know she needs to get off the phone and tend to the patient)
I then told the dispatcher (no medical background) to be sure to tell the responding units that they're intubating the patient. He had no idea what it meant or why it was important but thankfully trusted me, aired it and asked questions later. Although it's not a big deal, I bet this is info you want to know as a responder. This nurse answered all my questions politely and things went smoothly.
This is how it should go!!! Please don't be rude to us or act like half the jerks we talk to and say something like "why does it matter, just get them here!!" and hang up. I know there's a lot of terrible dispatchers out there and I'm sorry for that, but there are a lot of terrible EMTs in the field also.
Just don't forget there's another person on the other end of the line. I'm glad to see so many of you realize that because it's surprisingly uncommon. For some reason there's a lot of us vs. them mentality and an assumption that dispatchers are stupid or failures. We have experienced paramedics, PhDs, and yes some idiots among our ranks.... just like out in the field.
Me: "do you have any idea what's going on? " (trying to get a general idea - asthma? anxiety attack?)
RN: "no but the PA is starting to intubate him."
Me: "Ok they're on the way bye." (I now know she needs to get off the phone and tend to the patient)
I then told the dispatcher (no medical background) to be sure to tell the responding units that they're intubating the patient. He had no idea what it meant or why it was important but thankfully trusted me, aired it and asked questions later. Although it's not a big deal, I bet this is info you want to know as a responder. This nurse answered all my questions politely and things went smoothly.
This is how it should go!!! Please don't be rude to us or act like half the jerks we talk to and say something like "why does it matter, just get them here!!" and hang up. I know there's a lot of terrible dispatchers out there and I'm sorry for that, but there are a lot of terrible EMTs in the field also.
Just don't forget there's another person on the other end of the line. I'm glad to see so many of you realize that because it's surprisingly uncommon. For some reason there's a lot of us vs. them mentality and an assumption that dispatchers are stupid or failures. We have experienced paramedics, PhDs, and yes some idiots among our ranks.... just like out in the field.
adamjh3
Forum Culinary Powerhouse
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And I think that's where a lot of the issues arise. When you're on the ambo (at least in my limited experience) a lot of the things your dispatch does doesn't make sense from your perspective. Yeah, I've sat there and thought "how hard can it be to get a little bit of info from the nurse on the phone?" But when we get on scene and I'm having a hard time getting anything from the nurse and she's standing right next to me I realize how difficult the job must be.
And this isn't even a 911 system.
EDIT: All forms of "you" are general and not pointed at any one person.
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Oh trust me, we make the locked gate call more often than not. Thankfully most of the gated areas here are starting to implement a universal code for EMS/Fire/PD to use to gain access. We have a few tricks to getting gates to open that don't involve any sort of physical contact with said gate or it's components too but thats about all I can say about that.
Edit: Lucid that surprises me that your partner dispatcher had no medical training. Is this pretty common throughout the nation? Here all the dispatchers are required to have EMT-B prior to hire then complete the first EMT-I course offered by our service ( offered 2 times a year. the dispatcher's tuition is waived and they are payed their hourly wage during class) about half of our dispatchers hold a current EMT-P card. They are also required to work 1-2 12 hr shifts annually as a 3rd in the unit with us to keep 'fairness' with the street crews being required to work in dispatch.
Also, I can't say I have never gotten frustrated with dispatch while working. I mean if we have a huge unit hour utilization number don't post us central!!!!
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Shishkabob
Forum Chief
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Usually due to cartain dispatchers acting (intentionally or not) like field crews de facto supervisor, when in fact, they are support staff.
It got to the point at my last agency where field supervisors and operations management actually had a meeting with dispatch supervisors essentially telling them to "back off" the field crews.
Sat in with my new agency's dispatch 2 days this week and the interaction between dispatch and field crews is rather minimal compared to my last agency, and also looked less strained. Though I did warn the dispatchers as I was leaving that I would probably cuss them out a time or two under my breath. They said they'd do the same
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LucidResq
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It is sooo varied. I work at a totally integrated 911 center - we handle medical, fire and police for the entire city. Everyone starts as a calltaker and soon cross-trains to dispatch police and fire/EMS. People here will often spend a few hours dispatching PD, then a few on Fire, then some taking 911 calls. A place like this, having your EMT isn't required and wouldn't be any more beneficial than being a firefighter or having law enforcement experience.
The places that tend to require or strongly prefer EMT certification are those that are segregated from PD call-taking and dispatch and only do EMS.