The 911 phones are manned by eleven full time EMDs (Emergency Medical Dispatcher) who are also full time Correctional Officers. All officers take a required course in medical dispatching and re-new their license every two years.

     It takes a special person to be a medical dispatcher. The dispatcher is the first person contacted in a medical emergency. Most callers have not been in an emergency situation and are often in a panicked or hysterical state. Knowing that seconds can often be the difference between life and death, the dispatcher must extract as much information from the caller as possible in order to send out the proper agency as soon as possible. Often, medical instructions such as CPR must be given over the phone to a caller who has never tried such actions before in an attempt to save a life. One of the hardest parts of a dispatchers job comes after help arrives on scene and we disconnect the call. Not knowing the fate of the people you tried to help.

Continue