By Bill Novak
The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)
Copyright 2006 Madison Newspapers, Inc.
In an emergency, a quick response can be the difference between life and death.
Because of that, emergency medical services in Dane County are banding together to make sure the closest ambulance is sent to a life-threatening emergency, regardless of the name on the side of the ambulance.
County Executive Kathleen Falk, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and other elected officials and EMS directors announced the agreement today at a press conference at the Alliant Energy Center.
The agreement authorizes the county’s 9-1-1 dispatch center to send the closest available advanced life support (ALS) ambulance.
“This regional collaboration will save lives and potentially reduce the duplication of services, which would also save money,” Cieslewicz said.
Also signing on to the agreement are Middleton, Sun Prairie, the town of Madison, the Madison Fire Department, Middleton Emergency Medical Service, town of Madison Fire and Emergency Medical Service, Sun Prairie Emergency Medical Service and the Fitch-Rona Emergency Medical Service.
“This is a concept that has been a long time coming,” said Dr. Paul Stiegler, medical director of Dane County Emergency Medical Services. “It is a giant step forward in getting the highest level of emergency care to the right patient at the right time.”
A pilot project in 2004 gave evidence of how the dispatch system could work, with Falk citing the case of a 12-year-old boy who was trying to commit suicide.
“The boy hung himself at a city of Madison location,” Falk said. “The Fitch-Rona EMS was sent as the closest ALS unit. The boy was resuscitated and taken to the hospital where he recovered.”
A key component to the agreement is enhanced technology which equips each ALS ambulance with a radio that transmits a tracking signal to the 9-1-1 center so dispatchers know the unit’s location at all times while it’s in service.
The 9-1-1 center dispatchers also will use a priority medical dispatch plan that asks a series of questions of callers to determine the urgency and level of care needed for the emergency.