911 Dispatch Experience

911 Dispatch Experience

So I sat with Weld County’s 911 Dispatch center and I truly enjoyed it. It was a whole new world to me.

I think we as citizens take 911 dispatchers for granted sometimes. I was floored when I saw what exactly they are doing when you call them.

The multitasking they do alone is an amazing art.

The picture above is similar to what I saw. All those computer screens are in use at once while taking calls! Notice the three mice, there are also foot pedals below the desk so the dispatcher can continue to communicate over the radio and still be hands free to input information.

I was able to witness the stress level’s they feel with stressful calls and I could feel the somewhat ‘helpless’ feeling by not being able to be there personally with the patient. The coaching and reassurance they give over the phones lines though is truly touching.

I heard multiple calls, most of which were pretty uneventful. However, the dispatcher beside us took a suicide call of a teen girl who had shot herself. The father called in and was clearly distraught. I listened to how the dispatcher coached the father through dealing with such a stressful situation, this dispatcher did an amazing job.

I was able to read what was being said between dispatch and the paramedics that arrived on scene and several times “Patient is obviously dead” continued to read across the screen. Even though the dispatcher I was sitting with and I didn’t actually take this call, it has stuck with me ever since.

I can tell already children are going to be the hard calls for me. I just can’t stop thinking about this teen girl and what she must have been feeling before she decided to do what she did. I also think about her parent’s and how devastated they must be.

I am considering working for 911 Dispatch until I can find a position as an EMT. The training is one year long, training includes dispatching police, fire and EMS.

The following videos are random calls I found, just so you can hear a sample of the type of calls that come in and how they are handled.

(dispatcher did a good job at keeping her cool, keeping your cool with even the craziest patient’s is a must)

(This is a chilling call. Near the end you can hear the wounded teens moaning)

Child Birth - Animation and some info

Signs that would indicate an imminent delivery:
• Broken bag of waters
• Crowning
• Urge to push
• Contractions 2 minutes apart or closer and are intense and last from 60-90 seconds
• *PT feels infant’s head moving down into birth canal (sensation of urge to defecate)
• *PT’s abdomen is very hard

*PT = patient

I was going to post here steps to actually assist in delivery of a baby, but you should call 911 if you are faced with this situation and/or be properly trained to do so.

I hope I experience this miracle at some point in my career!

Here are a few terms:

Neonate-a child from birth to 1 month of age.

Infant- a child from birth to 1 year old. The infant during the first month is often referred to as a neonate.

Placenta- the fetal organ through which the fetus exchanges nourishment and waste products druing pregnancy.

Umbilical Cord- an extension of the placenta through which the fetus receives nourishment while in the uterus.

Fundus of uterus- the part of the uterus above the orifices of the uterine tubes. (this is the area we massage after birth- lower belly area)

Uterus- an organ of the female reproductive system for containing and nourishing the embryo and fetus from the time the fertilize egg is implanted to the time of birth.

Weld County Colorado EMT

I’m working on becoming certified to save your life!

I’ve always wanted a career that would make a difference. I figured saving someone’s life is one of the best ways of making a difference in a really huge way.

I’m the type of person who has a really big heart and all I want to do is help, come on I cry during commercials. =D

At times I have a hard exterior but the interior is always soft. I have been dreaming of this for a long time now and now it’s finally here!

I will be over the moon when I actually receive my certification in May 2011! I just have to pass the National Registry Test first, that’s the tough part.

I live in Weld County and plan on working in Weld County. I can’t wait to wear that EMT patch… and I will wear it proudly!

Yesterday (1/10/11) was the first day of class and I will be going to class every night M-TH then on Fridays and some Saturdays later in the semester. I had the worst butterflies before class started, you know those first day jitters, but as usual everything went great and I already made some friends! LoL

There are 20 some students, all male except three females (including myself) us ladies have to stick together and show the men “we can do anything they can do better!”

WISH ME LUCK!