22/10/2018
"JUST SEND THE AMBULANCE!"
Have you ever experienced this? You are experiencing a medical emergency so you call 911. You want help and you want it now! You get frustrated with the dispatcher because they keep asking you questions. You either don't know the answers to these questions or you don't understand why it even matters. Well, we will tell you why it matters and how you can help us help you!
When you call 911 for an ambulance we ask a series of questions. Every call starts the same. We need to know the exact location of the emergency so we can send help. We will get your phone number so we have a way to contact you in case the call gets disconnected. If you haven't already advised the dispatcher, we will then have you tell us briefly why you need the ambulance. At this point we will send the medical responders, ambulance and/or first responders, for that jurisdiction. So within seconds help is already on the way!
The dispatcher will continue to ask you more specific questions pertaining to the medical emergency. These are all important questions so we know what type of help or instructions to give you. For example, if you are calling for someone who isn't breathing it is critical we know their age so we know the appropriate CPR instructions to provide you with.
Remember, help is already on the way! The dispatcher will then follow the proper protocol for your medical emergency. The answers to these questions helps tell the medical units how to respond, emergency or non-emergency, and also helps them prepare for arrival on scene. If they are responding for a broken leg they will get their splint out to immobilize the leg. If they know they are responding to someone that is having difficulty breathing they know they need to get their oxygen ready.
As you can see the questions we ask are there for a reason and help us get the right help to you as fast as we can.
Some simple tips for calling 911:
-If possible and safe, we would like the caller to be with the patient at the time of the call so they can provide accurate information and so we can tell you how to help them.
-Know your location and phone number you are calling from. The biggest delay in sending help occurs when callers do now know where they are. Addresses are best!
-Listen to the dispatcher and answer ALL questions asked.
-If you don't know the answer to the question, simply tell the dispatcher that you don't know. We are not trying to stump you here or make things difficult.
-If you know something of importance, please tell us! For example, you find your friend unconscious and you know that they just were using drugs. If you don't tell us that they possibly overdosed we will not be able to give your friend the help that they really need that could save their life!
Hopefully this helped shed some light on the medical protocol we use and its importance. We are here, prepared and ready for your medical emergency call!
