Simplified 9-1-1 Interactions Spurred More Bystander CPR (CA)

After switching to a simplified communication strategy, Los Angeles emergency dispatchers got more 9-1-1 callers to initiate early CPR on people with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), especially callers speaking limited English.

In a retrospective cohort study, the rate of callers with limited English proficiency engaging in telecommunicator CPR increased significantly from 28% to 69% after the City of Los Angeles 9-1-1 Dispatch Center transitioned from using the standard Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) to using the Los Angeles Tiered Dispatch System (LA-TDS)…

REPORT: Comparison of Emergency Medical Dispatch Systems for Performance of Telecommunicator-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Among 9-1-1 Callers With Limited English Proficiency (CA)

REPORT: Comparison of Emergency Medical Dispatch Systems for Performance of Telecommunicator-Assisted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Among 9-1-1 Callers With Limited English Proficiency (CA)

Key PointsQuestion
Did the implementation of a new dispatch system change telecommunicator-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) for patients in cardiac arrest involving 9-1-1 callers with limited English proficiency?

Findings
In this cohort study of 597 emergency calls for cardiac arrest, compared with the Medical Priority Dispatch System that was used for 25 years in the City of Los Angeles, the new Los Angeles Tiered Dispatch System was associated with an immediate increase in the prevalence of T-CPR and decreased times to cardiac arrest recognition and first chest compression when callers had limited English proficiency.

Meaning
This study found an association between the Los Angeles Tiered Dispatch System and improved emergency care in cardiac arrest cases involving 9-1-1 callers with limited English proficiency; further studies are needed in this group to increase activation of the chain of survival and improve health outcomes in cardiac arrest.

Importance
Increasing bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among racial/ethnic minority groups and culturally underserved populations is a key strategy in improving health care disparities in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Radio scanners go radio silent (MA)

Radio scanners go radio silent (MA)

It’s the end of an era for emergency communications using analog radio on Martha’s Vineyard when the Dukes County Sheriff’s Office digitizes the airwaves Thursday.

The move will make first responder communication clearer and more stable, but a side effect will be the silencing of traditional scanners that many Islanders use to follow fire, police, and EMS activity.

The cost of reconnecting with those transmissions will require an investment of about $400 to $600 in a digital scanner, according to Dukes County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Gould, one of the architects of the modernization project. Deputy Gould said he also hopes to channel certain major emergency response communications, fires and crashes for example, into a traditional scanner frequency — 154.1225 — but that’s still a work in progress…

Little Rock woman voices concern over 9-1-1 dispatch time (AR)

A woman frantically called 9-1-1 after men pulled out their guns inside of a PetSmart. During the incident, she said the phone continued to ring for several minutes.

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A woman who asked to remain anonymous said she was shopping at PetSmart on Financial Parkway two Sundays ago when she heard several men shouting in the next aisle over.

“They were saying things like ‘it’s about to go down, I’m going to end you, this is going to happen now’,” the woman said.

That’s when she saw them run around the corner..

Public Safety Advocate: Rural Broadband Update, FCC Update

There is certainly a lot happening in the field of wireless communications. Next week I will be commenting on the recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling on public-safety 4.9-GHz spectrum, but this week I want to back up and talk more about broadband for those in rural areas who do not have broadband and those who may have broadband available but not the financial resources to pay for broadband to their homes or elsewhere.

Rural Broadband

The infrastructure bill being discussed by Congress and the Executive Branch currently includes $65 billion for rural broadband deployment, which is down from the original $100 billion. It is not yet clear if this bill, as currently written, will capture the votes needed in both Houses of Congress and be signed by the President…