Dispatchers training to provide life-saving advice over phone

  • Published
  • By Airman Madeleine Remillard
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – Police officers and emergency medical technicians are often seen as heroes during emergencies, rushing in to save the day.

While these emergency personnel are absolutely essential, they wouldn’t be able to get where they need to go without the help of the behind-the-scenes heroes – 911 dispatchers.

Richard Chamberlain, emergency communication center supervisor here at Sheppard Air Force Base, explained the job as answering emergency calls and responding with the appropriate assets. This could mean promptly sending firemen to respond to a kitchen fire or security forces to a domestic dispute.

However, dispatchers will soon be able to expand their abilities by providing emergency first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedures to callers.

Chamberlain said dispatchers would have to conference call American Medical Response before providing any emergency medical pre-arrival procedures. With the help of a new two-month web-based training beginning May 23, 2018, dispatchers will be certified to provide emergency medical care to callers on their own.

LouAnne Sledge, fire and emergency medical dispatcher here at the Sheppard AFB Fire Department, said she is excited to begin the online training and take on the responsibility of relaying more purposeful information to callers.

“In an emergency situation, those few seconds it takes to CC the AMR could be the difference between life and death,” Sledge said. “This program will essentially eliminate the middle man,”

 It begins with a simple review of what it means to be a dispatcher and continues onto practical applications and step-by-step instructions on how to instruct a caller to handle an allergic reaction or a choking hazard. It even includes interactive training with instructors and practice calls.

“The training is designed to ensure each dispatcher is equipped with the tools and knowledge to help the caller to the best of their ability” Chamberlain said. “The bottom line is that this program will save lives,”

Dispatchers will begin providing the service to callers in July 2018.