EMERGENCY CREWS TAKE TRAINING COURSE; PROGRAM CREDITED WITH HELPING SHOW EXPERT RESPONSES

An Emergency Medical Dispatch certification trainer says the television program "Rescue 911" is having a dramatic impact on efforts to upgrade the level of dispatching services in this country.

Bill Auchterlonig, a 17-year veteran paramedic with Sedgewick County emergency medical services in Wichita, Kan., made the comment Saturday during a three-day certification program held at Southeast Missouri State University.

"The `Rescue 911' program has helped us tremendously," he said. "It has changed the public's perception of what goes on in an emergency medical dispatch center. It has resulted in an increased awareness by the public of what they can expect in the level of emergency medical dispatch services."

Auchterlonig said many viewers of "Rescue 911" now expect the same level of professional service in their local community. And that's where the EMD training and certification program comes in.

Nearly 30 emergency services personnel from as far away as Poplar Bluff, West Plains, Farmington and Potosi attended the program. It was sponsored by the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch and the Missouri Department of Health/Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.

Auchterlonig said the EMD program was developed by Dr. Jeff Clawson, fire surgeon and medical director of the Salt Lake City and County Fire Department, specifically for emergency medical services.

"There were several EMD systems in operation at the time ... in Dallas, Phoenix and Salt Lake City," said Auchterlonig. "Dr. Clawson combined them into a single program that is now in use in Salt Lake, and in over 400 other communities in the United States (including Cape Girardeau)."

The certification program is designed to provide the emergency medical dispatcher with the training needed to determine the level of emergency services needed and to provide pre-arrival medical instructions to the caller.

"Anyone who has watched `Rescue 911' knows what our EMD system is all about because many of the emergency services featured each week on the program use the Clawson EMD system," said Auchterlonig. "Basically, it tries to pull as much information as possible from the caller as soon as possible, and provide medical assistance to the caller before the ambulance arrives."

The heart of the Clawson EMD system is a flip-card file that contains 32 sets of two 8x5 cards. The cards contain step-by-step questions and instructions on any type of medical emergency, such as a heart attack or full cardiac arrest, drowning, electric shock, accidental poisoning, knife or gunshot wounds, or other life-threatening trauma to the body, all while the ambulance is enroute to the scene.

Auchterlonig said Clawson's EMD system is based on the realization that the emergency services dispatcher is one of the vital links in the chain of emergency trauma care.

"Emergency medical dispatch is really a separate skill from that of the EMT or paramedic, who can see and touch the patient," said Auchterlonig. "The emergency medical dispatcher cannot do that. They must rely on what someone else tells them over the phone about the condition of the patient. One of the first things the EMD must do is the calm and reassure the caller so they can ask questions and get the necessary information needed to get the ambulance on the way.

"If the caller is not medically trained, there are still many things they can do to help the patient before the ambulance arrives," Auchterlonig continued. "A properly trained EMD can communicate that information to the caller in a way the caller can understand."

He said the treatment may be something as simple as turning the patient on his side to open an airway, starting cardio-pulmonary resuscitation or putting a pressure pad on a wound.

Auchterlonig said there are two important things callers should remember when they pick up the phone to call for medical assistance. "Realize the EMD must ask a minimum amount of questions to get everything rolling. That means the caller must remain calm and answer all questions," he said. "The second thing is for the caller not to hang up the telephone until the EMD says to do so. If they hang up too soon it may prevent life-saving care from being given to the patient while the ambulance is on the way."

Jim Lawrence of Jackson, a training specialist with the Missouri Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, was chiefly responsible for bringing the nationally recognized training and certification program to Cape Girardeau.

"Many of the emergency services managers in Southeast Missouri were familiar with the Clawson EMD program and asked that we try to bring the certification program to this area so they could train their local emergency medical dispatchers," said Lawrence. "This program is simply another step in our effort to upgrade the level of emergency services care in Southeast Missouri."

Lawrence also paid tribute to the "Rescue 911" program for its educational and motivational value.

"Not only are viewers expecting the same level of EMD service in their communities that they see on `Rescue 911,' others are taking it upon themselves to obtain more advanced medical training, such as First Aid, or CPR training," he said. "Others are enrolling in First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician or paramedic classes because they want make emergency trauma care a career."