Emergency Medical Dispatch Program Underway in Wayland

Wayland's Joint Communications Center already handles police, fire and 911 calls for the Town of Wayland.

Beginning July 1, the team of dispatchers added Emergency Medical Dispatch efforts to its responsibilities.

According to a press release, the EMD program requires that each dispatcher complete specialized training. In addition, a set of medical response flip cards are now housed in the communications center. Those cards are designed to help the dispatcher provide "consistent, time tested, medically approved information, advice and instructions" when calls come in.

In particular, the program outlines a series of questions that helps dispatchers verify the location of the call, obtain contact information should the connection be lost and determine the immediacy of the call.

Dispatchers are also equipped to provide, if necessary, some medical instruction ranging from "Do not move the patient," to the steps of CPR.

The state set a deadline of July 1 for all 911 dispatchers to be trained in this program, and Wayland Fire Chief Vinnie Smith said Wayland's team should be commended for meeting the deadline.

"Many neighboring towns are struggling, trying to comply with this new regulation," Smith said in the release. "In many cases, there is simply no compliance and in some cases, EMD is being contracted out to other organizations that provide the service, but in those systems, the hand-off requires an additional transfer of 911 calls to an organization outside the area."

The Wayland Fire Department, which provides ambulance service in town, benefits from the questions dispatchers ask when a medical call comes in, the press release said.

The dispatcher provides information and updates to the ambulance crew on its way to the call, according to the release. That step helps the crew provide "definitive pre-hospital treatment" upon arrival.

"Wayland’s citizens should be proud that their community supports this service right here, within our own 911 answering point," Smith said in the release. "This service will surely save lives and positively impact pre-hospital patient care and treatment."