By EMS1 Staff
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — A dispatcher was recently honored for using a newly-implemented response system to help save the life of a woman.
My Sheboygan reported that Chris Damkot used the Medical Priority Dispatch System to instruct Sharon Zielke’s boyfriend on how to administer CPR while she was in full cardiac arrest.
Zielke made a full recovery and was released from the hospital with her cognitive ability fully intact.
The system uses a set of questions to analyze the situation and determine what type of emergency responders should be sent, and also helps dispatchers give callers step-by-step instructions to treat victims before help arrives.
“Dispatchers are no longer the conduit dispatching resources,” Lt. Kristy De Blaey said. “They are the people providing the first level of emergency care through their medical instructions. The dispatchers are a vital link, directly involved in the life of the patient. They are making a difference in lives. I have witnessed not just the medical impact but the emotional impact of the instructions. When callers hear instructions from a 911 dispatcher, they are calmer and more focused in the crisis.”