PowerPhone in Tennessee

A recent PowerPhone Emergency Medical Dispatch class at DeKalb County 9-1-1 in Tennesse was highlighted by the local media.

 Five of the White County E-911 Center dispatchers recently completed an Emergency Medical Dispatch course in a continuing effort to equip 911 dispatchers to effectively give life saving pre-arrival instructions to callers when they call 911.

Dispatchers were trained in a variety of calls ranging from giving CPR instructions to stopping severe bleeding. These pre-arrival instructions are crucial in helping the caller or another person needing help, until an ambulance and first responders arrive on scene.

This course was very in depth and all the students were required to handle in progress calls just as if they were in the center. No two calls were the same and ranged from childbirth to seizures. This class certifies about half of the White County 911 dispatchers to give these life saving instructions and they are now not just dispatchers, but Emergency Medical Dispatchers.

The class was hosted by DeKalb County 911 and was held at the DeKalb County Fire Department Main station. The instructor, Mike Doughty is a career FireFighter/Paramedic with the Pontiac Michigan Fire Department and also has five years experience as a 911 dispatcher. He teaches EMD part time for PowerPhone. Having an emergency response background definitely made a difference in how the class was presented and how the 911 dispatchers in attendance were able to relate personally to the subject matter taught in class.

Attending from White County were Wanda Alexander, Pam Hickey, Janet Musich, Kathy Frady and Chadra Daniels.

“Being a 911 dispatcher is a stressful and demanding career and people often think of it being a job, but it’s more than a job, it’s a profession,” said Pam Hickey, senior dispatcher. “There are calls that come in sometimes that stick with you, and when you go home at the end of your shift, it’s hard not to think about it. This class really did a great job of how to deal with those stresses.”

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