When even public libraries have switched from card catalogs to computer-based search engines, Blaine County emergency dispatchers still flip through a card file for every medical call.
Each set of cards is sorted by major symptoms a caller may report, such as breathing difficulties. Dispatchers must flip through a binder-like set of these cards to find the card that matches the caller's symptoms while keeping an eye on the computer-assisted dispatch screen, which flashes up crucial information such as the caller's phone number.
However, a new software system that will be put in place over the next few months will put all crucial information on computer screens, saving valuable time on important medical calls.
Dispatchers will input the callers' responses to questions into the software program, which will automatically transfer the dispatcher to the next relevant question or provide guidance regarding response.
Beth English, E-911 director, said the new system would standardize emergency medical calls, reduce the county's liability and give dispatchers and responders more information.
"We will handle every medical call in the same way," English said.
English attended the Blaine County Commission meeting Tuesday to ask for the commissioners' support in a decision to buy not only the new emergency medical software, but two other software programs designed to make the dispatch system run more efficiently.
Commissioner Angenie McCleary said she is "very supportive" of the new emergency medical software.
"We're talking about real consistency," she said.
Two more software packages requested by English include a digital recording program and an emergency notification program.
The notification software, called Everbridge, would take the place of the current Swiftreach system, which alerts county residents of impending disaster, and the REACT system, which calls in emergency responders.
The Swiftreach system effectively works as a "reverse 911," calling subscribers to notify them of fires, avalanches or other emergencies. The system costs the county $9,000 per year plus 8 cents for each minute of phone time.
Everbridge would combine the emergency response system with the reverse 911 system for $9,000 a year for unlimited minutes. English said this switch, which would be "seamless" for the public, would save the county more than $1,000 a year.
English said the system would have been useful last month when dispatch was flooded with calls regarding fires in the surrounding counties.
"We could have set it off and let people know there were no fires in Blaine County," she said. "It would have cost a fortune with Swiftreach."
The new recording software would allow dispatch supervisors to re-create calls and determine whether they were responded to accurately and efficiently. English said the new program would allow supervisors to review the entire call as it happened in real time, including all transmissions and CAD screen captures, which current software cannot do.
All three software packages will be paid for using already-allocated funds from the dispatch's 2010 budget. English said she hopes to have the systems in place within the next two months, before the ski and avalanche seasons begin.
Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com
Emergency dispatcher Rodney Gregg works at one of the computer-assisted dispatch modules in the Blaine County Emergency Communications Center. A more efficient computer program could replace his set of emergency medical dispatch cards, seen to his right, within a few months. Photo by David N. Seelig
