Armonk Getting Dispatched By 60?

[Guest]

Is Armonk FD now being completly dispatched by 60 Control? It seems so....I don't remember hearing anything about this if this did happen, except a member coming on here a while ago to research it.

Edited June 1, 2006 by EM2FD

[Jybehofd 85]

Is Armonk FD now being completly dispatched by 60 Control? It seems so....I don't remember hearing anything about this if this did happen, except a member coming on here a while ago to research it.

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Yes Finaly we have switched as of May 1st to deing dispatched by 60 control. In the past we have had issues with the old system, one of the major improvements is that we are now getting dispatched at the same time as ALS. Before we were runing blind not always knowing if ALS was called out and usually called out up to more then 10 minutes after they hit our tones.

[Guest]

Yes Finaly we have switched as of May 1st to deing dispatched by 60 control.  In the past we have had issues with the old system, one of the major improvements is that we are now getting dispatched at the same time as ALS.  Before we were runing blind not always knowing if ALS was called out and usually called out up to more then 10 minutes after they hit our tones.

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Unfortunetly now ALS is dispatched on every EMS call where before it was a priority dispatch.

[WAS967 97]

Unfortunetly now ALS is dispatched on every EMS call where before it was a priority dispatch.

Why is that unfortunate? If BLS doesn't need us, they can cancel us. (And I wish they would do so more often BEFORE we got there instead of waiting until I get on scene making me have to write a full PCR on a patient for a cancelled call but thats just a minor nitpik).

Until 60 Control decides to use a priority dispatch system, everything they dispatch (short of lift assists) will be dispatched on an ALS level. Have you seen the numbers they post outside of the dispatch center? Somewhere upwards of 96% (haven't seen them lately) of the calls dispatched by 60 control are dispatched as ALS. The other small percentage might be instances where ALS is/was not available.

Edited June 1, 2006 by WAS967

[ltjay157 10]

I thought that everyone had to use a priority dispatch system. Seems like a waste of resources to be sending a medic with a BLS bus for a stubbed toe or the finger lac.

[WAS967 97]

I agree. And I wish they did use a priority dispatch system, but they do not.

[Medibart 55]

I agree. And I wish they did use a priority dispatch system, but they do not.

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Armonk is the first agency using EMD priority dispatch with 60-Control, however, this can only be done if the 60-Control dispatcher has the opportunity to interview the patient. So any calls that come from the PD where the 911 caller is not routed to 60-Control will not have an EMD interview done, therefore, the default is ALS. I suspect that as time goes on, more calls will be properly routed and more calls will be triaged properly.

[Guest DADAY]

Well it could always back fire with screening the calls. The othe day I heard Putnam 911 dispatch a Delta level call, and the injury was a scraped knee. Does it work, yes most of the time.

[Guest WCDES636]

EMD Priority Dispatch does work very well. The reason most areas still get an ALS response is the area EMS Districts decide they want ALS dispatched on every call. The Priority Dispatch may recommend BLS, but the CAD system is programmed for each EMS districts directive.