What Are the Dispatchers Thinking?

[looker]

Being you're off duty and you call 911 and say I am emt off duty have patient here that needs ambulance at and give address. If that is all you can say then you just say I got to go and hang up. Let dispatcher deal with it. If that person needs your full attention to stay alive, then dispatcher will just have to deal with not getting all info. What is dispatcher going to do not send an ambulance because person hang up/got disconnected? That would be one dam fat lawsuit.

 

[Handsome Robb]

911 hangup messes with the EMD priority dispatching. You can also bet your *** that dispatcher will call you back, at least once if not multiple times. Here 911 hang ups are priority 2, which means the responding unit could be diverted to a priority 1 call. While a unit further away is re-dispatched to the hang-up thus increasing response time and the amount of time your sitting on scene with a dying person, with no gear and no additional *trained* help.

Now did you help the pt by hanging up on the dispatcher rather than taking 20 seconds to answer their questions?

Just some food for thought.

 

[looker]

911 hangup messes with the EMD priority dispatching. You can also bet your *** that dispatcher will call you back, at least once if not multiple times. Here 911 hang ups are priority 2, which means the responding unit could be diverted to a priority 1 call. While a unit further away is re-dispatched to the hang-up thus increasing response time and the amount of time your sitting on scene with a dying person, with no gear and no additional *trained* help.

Now did you help the pt by hanging up on the dispatcher rather than taking 20 seconds to answer their questions?

Just some food for thought.

That is asking for lawsuit. If you call 911 say you're off duty emt, say i have patient dying, i am alone at address that knows what the hell i am doing.Then say sorry i can't talk send ambulance and hang up. If that call get bumped to code 2 then i hope city got nice insurance as that is asking for lawsuit. Would you rather emt/medic take time to talk to dispatcher or save the dam person live? As op posted further details dispatcher continuously wanted to talk to him. I am sorry if it's decision between keeping someone alive or talking to dispatcher I hope the person picks keeping person alive.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Ever heard of speaker phone? Also, there are very few emergencies that those 20 seconds will count, if your really alone and the person is that bad put the phone down and start relaying what is going on verbally, something is better than nothing.

Priority 2 is still code 3, but is available for divert to a priority 1 call.

Considering we have an accredited emergency dispatch center here and have had it for 10+ years, our system seems to work just fine.

Also it wouldn't be on the city, I work for a private under a public service model.

 

[looker]

Ever heard of speaker phone? Also, there are very few emergencies that those 20 seconds will count, if your really alone and the person is that bad put the phone down and start relaying what is going on verbally, something is better than nothing.

Priority 2 is still code 3, but is available for divert to a priority 1 call.

Considering we have an accredited emergency dispatch center here and have had it for 10+ years, our system seems to work just fine.

Also it wouldn't be on the city, I work for a private under a public service model.

A lot of people can't do two things at once. While you can put phone on speaker etc how much of the brains is that person using to talk to dispatcher while trying to provide care to the patient. Do your dispatch not roll fire with every ems call? Let fire advice arriving ambulance/dispatcher what is going on.

 

[Sasha]

I appreciate ther feedback, both positive and negative to my comments.

I did, in fact, hand the phone to someone else. The problem I was having is that dispatch kept wanting to speak to me directly and as such it was a bit distracting.

Now - I am not going to say that there may not have been someone on the other end that may have been more qualified. That all the questions asked were not pertinant.

I made a point NOT to be rude to the diapatcher. I also made a point to answer their questions as time permitted.

What was of concern was after I cleared the patients airway of excess partially chewed organic matter, I was in the middle of attempting resuce breathing when I was told that the dispatcher wanted to talk to me as the bystander could not answer many of the questions that the dispatcher had.

In fairness to an earlier comment, perhaps I was a little stressed. I had a 74 year old in respiratory arrest who was also cyanotic. I REALLY was focused on the airway.

What would have helped me feel a little more confident/better would have been the following:

1. Acknowledgement of my assessment that the patient did indeed need an ambulance.

2. Approximate ETA when I could expect help. (something, anything as I had family members that wanted to throw grandpa in their sub-compact and get him to the hospital. Some information would have gone a long way to help me help them as I really thought this was not a good course of action.)


Everything turned out fine in the end. I saved the patient, the ambulance showed up, life went on.

I have nothing against diapatchers and in reference to people jamming spoons into other peoples mouths I guess I could not comment as I have never seen or heard of this behavior. All I am saying is that there may be a better way to respond to people that identify themselves as EMS professionals on the other end of the line.

Do you not have speaker phone or a blue tooth?

Why would an IFT company need portable radios? Talk about pointless.

Sent from LuLu using Tapatalk

 

[Handsome Robb]

A lot of people can't do two things at once. While you can put phone on speaker etc how much of the brains is that person using to talk to dispatcher while trying to provide care to the patient. Do your dispatch not roll fire with every ems call? Let fire advice arriving ambulance/dispatcher what is going on.

Fire rolls on priority 1 and 2. Police roll on hang-ups as well. Depending on the time of day it isn't rare that we beat fire to the scene. We run SSM so we don't have to run and get suited up then get in the truck before we respond.

If your an employed EMT you should be able to multi-task, it's kinda a job requirement.

Fire and PD are a separate dispatch center than ours so them relaying info has to go from them to their dispatcher then to our dispatcher then to us. They can come up on our radio channels but it doesn't happen all that often.

 

[looker]

Fire rolls on priority 1 and 2. Police roll on hang-ups as well. Depending on the time of day it isn't rare that we beat fire to the scene. We run SSM so we don't have to run and get suited up then get in the truck before we respond.

If your an employed EMT you should be able to multi-task, it's kinda a job requirement.

Fire and PD are a separate dispatch center than ours so them relaying info has to go from them to their dispatcher then to our dispatcher then to us. They can come up on our radio channels but it doesn't happen all that often.

People react differently when they are alone with no partner and get thrown in to emergency situation. Yes i agree that being emt requires multitasking but again people sometimes react differently when they are not "on the job"and are alone. Dispatcher should be able to ignore protocol and just send ambulance. Instead of having someone give him back the phone dispatcher should have gotten whatever she/he could and let ambulance get on scene and get the rest of info. It's good everything working out for the patient and op but what if it didn't. I do not like set rules with no ability to deviate from them as there are situations where they do not work well at all.

 

[Shishkabob]

Dispatcher should be able to ignore protocol and just send ambulance

If a dispatcher follows protocol, they are essentially exempt from liability if it ends up being dispatched incorrectly per EMD. If they deviate, it opens them up to so much and the agency and NAMED will drop them like a bad habit.




We deviate in the field because that's just how it is. They don't have that luxury in dispatch.

 

[looker]

If a dispatcher follows protocol, they are essentially exempt from liability if it ends up being dispatched incorrectly per EMD. If they deviate, it opens them up to so much and the agency and NAMED will drop them like a bad habit.




We deviate in the field because that's just how it is. They don't have that luxury in dispatch.

While that is totally true the same protocol should give dispatch ability to deviate to sending ambulance in such cases as this. At the end of the day it's all about patient care/saving people lives.

 

[Handsome Robb]

I think the biggest difference that's going on here is 911 vs. IFT dispatching. I never have worked IFT so I don't know how exactly it works. We are required to do 12 hours in dispatch annually so I'm pretty familiar, although not proficient by any means, with our 911/EMD dispatching system.

While that is totally true the same protocol should give dispatch ability to deviate to sending ambulance in such cases as this. At the end of the day it's all about patient care/saving people lives.

In a perfect society, yes. In the litigious society we live in it doesn't work like that. I feel like you, as a company owner, should understand that.

 

[looker]

I think the biggest difference that's going on here is 911 vs. IFT dispatching. I never have worked IFT so I don't know how exactly it works. We are required to do 12 hours in dispatch annually so I'm pretty familiar, although not proficient by any means, with our 911/EMD dispatching system.




In a perfect society, yes. In the litigious society we live in it doesn't work like that. I feel like you, as a company owner, should understand that.

I understand it and if we feel that call is 911 we transfer it. Dispatcher always take better safe than sorry. However if I did 911 I would hope protocol could be designed that could give some room to dispatcher in case where common sense should be used.

 

[DesertMedic66]

If I call 911 then I am going to have to answer all the questions and they are going to dispatch an ambulance and a fire engine.

If I call my ambulance dispatch directly then they will ask what I need. So depending on a call it could just be an ambulance.

Fire/police/highway patrol/ sheriff answer the 911 call and talk directly to the person calling 911. Then from there our dispatch recieves a location and type of call and then we get dispatched.

 

[BF2BC EMT]

I think the biggest difference that's going on here is 911 vs. IFT dispatching. I never have worked IFT so I don't know how exactly it works. We are required to do 12 hours in dispatch annually so I'm pretty familiar, although not proficient by any means, with our 911/EMD dispatching system.




In a perfect society, yes. In the litigious society we live in it doesn't work like that. I feel like you, as a company owner, should understand that.

IFT all about getting the money, you're patient begins circling the drain as you're loading them to take them back to a SNF from dialysis and you call dispatch you better belive half the time they'll tell you to continue transport. This is due to greedy individuals. I saw it happening at most private 911 BLS calls from SNF's, you know the calls where the nurse tells you pt is stable just complaining of pain and it turns out to be chest pain, so you call dispatch to notify them this is an ALS call and now both dispatch (who doesn't want to lose a contract but will gladly throw you under the bus) and the RN who knows the SNF has had to many 911 calls are yelling at you to take the pt yourself.

I'm sorry all the needs to be said is I'm off duty, pt chief complaint, priority of call and nothing else. The crew can receive a more detailed report on arrival. Sorry speaker phones aren't the best, handing the phone to someone who is stumbling over their words in a charged up situation is just as bad.

Leaving 911 hang ups for units farther away is not good practice in my opinion, a hang up or a connected line that once had someone speaking but now they aren't is just bad news.

Edit-this wasn't directed towards you Rob just the first bit about the mentality of IFT dispatchers

 

[fast65]

If they're that charged up over someone choking, to where they can't perform:

A) abdominal thrusts
B) chest compressions
C) airway maneuvers

While talking to dispatch on speaker, I'm questioning how calm they are on other emergencies, just sayin'.

Honestly, wouldn't it have been easier to just answer the questions that dispatch had for you, than to assume they're just BS questions and that you're time is more important? Those questions are there for a reason, either answer them yourself or have someone else call 911.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BF2BC EMT]

If they're that charged up over someone choking, to where they can't perform:

A) abdominal thrusts
B) chest compressions
C) airway maneuvers

While talking to dispatch on speaker, I'm questioning how calm they are on other emergencies, just sayin'.

Honestly, wouldn't it have been easier to just answer the questions that dispatch had for you, than to assume they're just BS questions and that you're time is more important? Those questions are there for a reason, either answer them yourself or have someone else call 911.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No, I personally don't think dispatch questions are more important then focusing care on the pt. Espically questions about PMH/allergies. Stuff you prob won't know unless the pt is a family member or friend. Pt status can easily change between the time you gave info to the dispatch and the time the medic gets there. The medic should do their own assessment when they arrive, instead of relying on info that might be reliable from someone who might be in the medical field

 

[PotatoMedic]

IF I am counting correctly, my county has 6 different dispatch centers. Since I drive all over the county (which is not that big) on a regular basis I have gotten to the point where I first confirm which dispatch center I am talking to since cell phones can get routed anywhere and I know the boundaries (and or agency I need to speak too) of each com center. IE.

Dispatch: What's your emergency?
Me: Is this "XXXCom?" I need EMS.
Dispatch: One second sir I will transfer you now.

 

[CAOX3]

I dispatch at times, we don't EMD calls if a medical provider is on scene. EMD is designed to instruct bystanders. If you tell me your a nurse or an EMT that should remove you from any liability, they have identified themselves as a medical provider on scene, it isn't a dispatchers job to determine if the caller is or isn't what they say they are.

We get a general summary and send an ambulance.

 

[mycrofft]

So let me get this straight...

I can call 911, tell them I'm a paramedic and they'll leave me alone and do whatever I tell them to as far as dispatch?:rofl:

When you receive a phone call to any official number like that, unless you can absolutely positively identify the caller and stake your job on it ( and sometimes that is not enough, there are codes or such), then the subtext to the conversation is "Thanks you for your call, as you surely understand I can take this on advisement but until my people get back to me on it, this is anonymous hearsay. Have a nice day".
Yes, it can be really frustrating, especially when the adrenaline is pumping and every second feels like a minute, but the fastest way to get through is to be quiet and do what they say. The fastest way to get blown off is to yell, threaten, get sarcastic or demand to speak to a supervisor. Those are the tactics used by the very people you don't want to be trusting at the other end of the line.

 

[imadriver]

Personally I've been on both ends of this. I've called in a few of MVA's, a couple of them I stopped by, I had almost the same thing with two different dispatchers.

I just told them I'm First Responding, came up on this wreck.

Both had one Unconscious, one single car, the other two car. Both I pretty much said:

"I have one unconscious, unresponsive, breathing adequately, (whatever type) injury, and 2/3 minor patients that have a couple of light scraps and bruises."

First Dispatcher: "Alright, thanks, we'll get a couple units going, Fire, and HP. Is there anything else you might need?"

Second Dispatcher: I'm not going to quote, but it's pretty much as the OP said. They started asking the questions on the flip cards, and yes I know they have a reason, but some of them were just a waste of time because I had already told her most of the information she was asking for. She just couple type fast enough or put it all together I suppose.