“Medical dispatch. He’s having a problem breathing?”
Michelle Walker is a control center trainer for Life EMS, with 35 emergency medical dispatchers who will field more than 300,000 calls this year from their 10-county service area.
Walker says every call is different.
“You can go from talking to a hospital about a transfer to the next call you answer is a heart attack, shortness of breath. You have to be ready for the change.”
Life EMS was just recognized by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch as an Accredited Center of Excellence, the highest distinction earned by emergency communication centers, certifying they perform at or above industry standards.
Life EMS founder and president Mark Meijer says the achievement shows staff is committed to the best service and care for the residents they serve.
“You don’t have to be an EMT or a paramedic to work in our call center, but we have great training to get them to that level of medical call excellence.”
For instance, the standard call answer time is 15 seconds for 90% of calls and Meijer notes his team exceeds that, answering in under 10 seconds.
“That’s when the care begins. We call it zero-minute care. So the minute you call us at Life EMS, our folks are taking care of you over the phone.”
