Date: June 27, 2013
For many, summer is the time of adventure and outdoor exploration. It is also a time when BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) receive more calls from people who can’t describe where they are.
9-1-1 callers who can advise dispatchers of their specific location help ensure that paramedics can provide assistance as soon as possible. Without a confirmed location, critical minutes are lost trying to locate callers and help can be delayed.
“We’ve all seen TV crime dramas that make it seem relatively quick and easy to use modern technology to find someone in distress. The unfortunate reality is that the best information about a patient’s location comes from the 9-1-1 caller,” said BCAS Dispatch Operations Director Gordon Kirk. “Knowing where you are helps us get an ambulance on the way in a matter of seconds, instead of minutes. Valuable time is lost when dispatchers have to locate where a call is coming from.”
Five key safety tips for exploring remote areas:
- Plan – know where you are going and how to get there and follow that route.
- Tell – a loved one where you are going, estimated arrival time and then check in with them at the end of your trip.
- Know where you are – keep track of landmarks, road and trail names, communities, and direction.
- Prepare – pack a map, compass, food, extra cell phone battery and first aid kit in case of emergency.
- Practise how you would describe your location to emergency services.
Vernon resident Jason Dudar recently called 9-1-1 for a friend who had a medical emergency outside of town. “I was impressed with the way the BC Ambulance Service dispatcher worked with us to obtain our location and inform us they were en route”, says Dudar. “The two paramedics arrived quickly and were very efficient and effective in dealing with the situation, especially given the terrain. They saved my friend.”
If a caller is not able to give a specific location, BCAS EMDs use a variety of tools to determinen the caller’s location, from a series of questions about road names, direction and landmarks, to engaging Search and Rescue partners and using technology that triangulates cell phone location based on proximity to closest cell phone towers. While technology can be very useful, triangulation of location can vary from several feet to many kilometers away and is limited to latitude and longitude, not heights within structures.
The different varieties of technology also limit BCAS EMD’s ability to use cell phones to pinpoint a caller’s location, as does whether or not a cell phone with GPS installed has been turned on. Backcountry users should also never assume that there will be cell coverage in remote areas.
Although it will take longer to get assistance without a specific location, people should call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency. BCAS EMDs can provide first aid instructions to bystanders over the phone until paramedics arrive.
Note to editor: Interviews can be scheduled with BCAS dispatch staff.
