January 6th, 2020 by WCBC Radio
As the county moves into the new decade, emergency communication specialists are getting a new tool to aid citizens during an emergency.
The Allegany County Joint Communications Center has purchased Apple iPad tablets to replace a dated, flip card system that provides callers instructions during an emergency.
“When a citizen calls 911, our communication specialists are trained to narrow down the call type and to provide pre-arrival medical care or other instructions for fire and police related emergencies,” Allegany County Joint Communications Chief Bryan Miller said. “We will be the first center in the state transitioning from the older flip card version to an electronic version using Apple iPads.”
The older version is a series of cards that provide a flowchart for the communication specialist to follow to provide step-by-step lay person CPR instructions, bleeding control measures, how to aid a choking victim or aid in the delivery of a new born, according to Miller.
The new devices will allow the communication specialist to simply click the answer that the caller provides and will automatically move through instructions for the caller.
“The new technology will make our system of providing these vital instructions more streamline and efficient,” Miller said.
In 2019, the Joint Communications Center handled a total of 14,786 emergency medical calls in Allegany County.
“Adding the new technology to the already professional and skillful communications center staff will only make the services we provide better,” DES Director James Pyles said. “I am very excited to be the first county in the state to be instituting this new technology to better serve the citizens of this county.”
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