Communications is the nerve center of the department. This is where we receive calls for assistance and manage responses to those calls.
911 Calls Received
This indicator measures the count of phone calls received via 911 every month.
Why Is This Important?
This is one of the indicators we track to ensure that we have sufficient resources available to serve the public, now and in the future. As 911 call volume increases, we must plan for adding additional personnel and equipment to answer those calls.
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Call Processing Time
This indicator measures the average amount of time it takes to process 911 calls every month, from the time that a Communications Medic answers to the phone to the time the first units are dispatched. Our goal is to average less than 75 seconds each month.
Why Is This Important?
When customers call 911, they expect to have their phone call answered quickly and have their emergency addressed as soon as possible. In many cases, ATCEMS Communications provide life and limb saving pre-arrival instructions, and are valuable link in the chain of survival concept.
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Medical Priority Dispatch Protocol Compliance
This is the percentage of cases that comply with the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) standards.
MPDS is an internationally recognized approach to prioritizing incidents and providing instructions to callers to assist a patient while EMS crews are responding. A random sample of 911 calls is selected for review every day. These calls are compared to MPDS standards to ensure that ATCEMS consistently provides a high level of service to our community. The overall compliance score is a composite of sub-sections that are scored against these standards.
Why Is This Important?
By gathering important information about an emergency and providing care instructions before EMS crews arrive on scene, ATCEMS Communication Medics become the first in the system’s chain of responders. MPD Compliance is a measure of how well our Communications Medics provide care. This measure is used to monitor the performance of the EMS Communication center and is required to maintain our accreditation from the International Academies of Emergency Medical Dispatch.
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