Austin-Travis County EMS 2022 Annual Report

communications division

Our Communications Medics are EMTs and Paramedics skilled in both their medical knowledge and technical capabilities. All Communications Medics obtain an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) certification through the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED).

REQUESTS FOR SERVICE Receiving over 138,293 requests from local to regional

PRIORITY 1 CALLS City Response 7:40 County Response 10:29

911 CALL PICKUP TIMES 98.5% of calls are answered within 60 seconds

DISPOSITIONS Sorting through over 36 call types to send the right resource to the right calls

Cardiac Arrest: 1,886 Stroke: 2,550

Medical: 79,828 Trauma: 25,133

Penetrating Trauma: 941 Overdose: 4,425

Behavioral: 6,469 Rescues: 705

Community Health: 3,197 Special Events: 1,569

Ready to answer your call. Ready to respond with intension.

The proprietary system is used in over 3,000 9-1-1 centers around the world - with over 7 million EMS calls processed annually. The MPD protocol ensures consistent questions to determine the appropriate response level for each incoming emergency request. It addresses scene safety for our patients, bystanders and our responders. The protocol also contains scripted instructions for lifesaving interventions like CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and childbirth. MPDS is an essential tool for our day to day management of EMS incidents at ATCEMS.

ATCEMS Emergency Communications is recognized as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) by the IAED – which demonstrates our dedication to excellence in patient management. This Accreditation requires us to demonstrate mastery of the triage protocols through a robust quality assurance process that includes providing our staff with on-going improvement feedback. We review 5-6% of our calls to confirm protocol compliance and ensure excellent patient management. ATCEMS was the first agency in Texas and 34th in the world to earn this Accreditation.

The Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) is developed and maintained by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED). MPDS is a protocol script that is used internationally to triage 9-1-1 requests for medical emergencies.

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www.austintexas.gov/EMS

May 2023