Careers in BCEHS dispatch operations centres offer challenging work in a fast-paced environment. BCEHS operates three dispatch centres in Vancouver, Victoria and Kamloops, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
As an emergency medical dispatcher (EMD), you build on your call-taking skills to plan and manage ambulance responses. You work in a dispatch operations centre, where you prioritize and dispatch 9-1-1 calls for both basic life support and advanced life support ambulances. You also communicate with other first responder agencies.
EMDs share critical information with paramedic crews and hospitals. In this role, you make sure the right people and resources arrive at the scene. You do this by:
- Sending the right emergency response team or ambulance as quickly as possible
- Coordinating with other first responder agencies (such as RCMP and search and rescue)
- Communicating with other EMDs and EMCTs on your team to support the best possible patient care possible
While crews are on the way, you continue to pass along important details so paramedics can act right away when they arrive.
Work in a dispatch operations centre can move very quickly. At all times, the focus stays on providing the best possible patient care.
To become an emergency medical dispatcher (EMD), you must first be a qualified emergency medical call-taker (EMCT) and hold medical priority dispatch system (MPDS) certification. This makes the EMD role a strong career growth opportunity for EMCTs.
To succeed in this role, you need:
- Speed and accuracy
- Strong multitasking skills
- Initiative
- Critical thinking
- Problem-solving skills
