Enhancing Fire Response: How Medical Dispatchers Elevate Care and Service for the Community
January 2, 2025
By Shannon Popovich, JD, CMCP
https://www.jems.com/exclusives/medical-dispatchers-elevate-care-and-service/
As the exclusive ground emergency medical services provider for Washoe County, Nevada, REMSA Health has provided emergency medical services for the community for more than 38 years. As the community has expanded and evolved, REMSA Health has enhanced its services to provide the best care for patients when they need it most––and our philosophy is that care starts with the call.
REMSA Health’s Regional Emergency Communications Center answered nearly 94,000 emergency calls in 2023. As trained EMTs or paramedics, our center’s 24 full-time medical dispatchers are truly the “first” first responders and are highly skilled in providing critical and life-saving care over the phone while collecting information for the clinical care providers who will arrive on the scene.
In 2021, our dispatch team’s role expanded and we began dispatching fire and medical resources for Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District (TMFPD) through a public-private partnership. REMSA Health dispatches approximately 1,800 fire-related emergency calls for TMFPD annually.
Doubling the Dispatcher’s Skillset – Pursuing Accreditation for Emergency Fire Dispatch
In 2024, the Communications Center team earned the designation of Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) further expanding REMSA Health dispatchers’ advanced skillset.
Pursuing accreditation for EFD bolstered our dispatch team’s skillset and strengthened our partnership with TMFPD. During the accreditation process, we worked through approximately 300 fire response configurations. Our dispatchers identified areas for improvement and created a training plan to address knowledge gaps.
The accreditation process also involved REMSA Health’s clinical quality department. Our quality assurance coordinators, who already hold specialized emergency medical dispatch (EMD) and EMD Quality Assurance Coordinator certifications, also took EFD Quality Assurance Coordinator courses to perfect their EFD call-response skills. Our quality assurance coordinators were required to earn their EFD quality certification.
Serving a geographically-challenging area
Washoe County is a beautiful place to live and recreate where residents enjoy views of the Sierra Nevada mountains, trees and foliage that change with the seasons and several accessible outdoor activities. While the landscape is breathtaking, it is incredibly varied and it can be challenging.
The county spans several elevations, experiences varying weather patterns and includes densely populated areas dotted by expanses of public lands with open terrain and rugged landscapes, creating obstacles for first responders when fighting fires. Our dispatchers have to be at the top of their game to dispatch fire calls that can come from any corner of our diverse county.
Additionally, our region of northern Nevada is susceptible to wildland fires that occur in remote areas, as well as in proximity to residential developments. To ensure readiness, our team collaborates with the TMFPD’s wildland division to prepare for fire season.
All team members complete an annual two-part training that educates them on what to expect during a wildfire, who to call, what resources are available to dispatch to the scene and how to understand weather predictions.
The wildfire training provided a critical base of knowledge for our dispatchers ahead of 2024’s wildfire season. Our dispatchers proved ready for wildland season with the recent Davis Fire that burned nearly 6,000 acres across southern portions of Washoe County and neighboring areas.
As our TMFPD partners and other co-response agencies worked to contain the fire, our Communications Center continued to answer and triage calls across the county. While working at our highest proficiency to serve the firefighters during a growing wildland fire, we also continue to provide exceptional care to new incoming medical and fire calls.
As fires grow, so do our call volumes. Additional staffing in the communications center is needed during these large incidents to support the influx of calls, as well as continue to support the day-to-day 911 calls and run communications for the fire’s incident command.
Our dispatchers intake calls about the wildfire and communicate pertinent updates from the community to the responders on scene to ensure they are responding to all the hot spots and protecting residential structures.
Continuous Training and Improvement for Fire Dispatch
REMSA Health’s dispatchers are required to understand fire dispatching terminology, firefighting tactics and fire response configurations. This extensive and specialized training ensures they have a comprehensive understanding of what’s happening on the scene, how to anticipate the needs of the responders and are equipped to efficiently support firefighters.
Additionally, new dispatchers are required to be EMD- and EFD-certified and undergo a 16-week immersion-style training program to further enhance their medical, fire, and ambulance dispatch knowledge.
Our dispatchers are also required to complete fire ride-alongs so they can visualize what the firefighters do at the station, enroute to a call, while onscene, and after the call is complete. This gives them the chance to fully understand what happens in the field and to build relationships with the responders.
We give our dispatchers several opportunities to “hear it, learn it, do it,” utilizing simulations in a collaborative educational environment so trainees can make mistakes and correct them before they begin answering live 9-1-1 calls.
REMSA Health works with fire department leaders to conduct After Action Reviews for complex fire calls. The reviews outline successes and points of improvement, providing essential feedback for continuous improvement and maintaining high quality dispatch standards.
Becoming dually accredited to effectively dispatch for medical and fire emergencies was a years-long process for our Communications Center team. But the endeavor is worthwhile as we continue to streamline our community’s resources and work to ensure the closest most appropriate and available resource is sent to the scene.
Accreditation also ensures we continue to surpass the standard of medical and fire dispatching due to the 3rd party review of our performance.
The fire dispatch training, accreditation and commitment to continuous improvement has advanced our team’s dedication to excellence and has built a respectful, productive relationship with our co-responder agencies that benefits the citizens we serve.
About the Author
Shannon Popovich is the director of REMSA Health’s Regional Emergency Communications Center.
