Celebrating American Heart Month

Heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death for men and women in the United States, with about 1 million occurring per year.  Of these, 460,000 are fatal.  Although you cannot prevent heart attacks from occurring, as a dispatcher you are the lifeline for people in need of help.  In celebration of American Heart Month, we would like to offer a few tips on how your call center can be better prepared for a call from a heart attack victim.

•  Know the signs of a heart attack: pain in the chest, neck and arms, chest tightness, shortness of breath, nausea and extreme fatigue
•  Never assume: A heart attack can happen to anyone, at any age.  Heart disease is the third leading cause of death among women aged 25-44 years and the second leading cause of death among women aged 45-64 years.
•  Stay current: Make sure your dispatcher’s are up to date with their Emergency Medical Dispatch certification and CPR protocols
• Know your community: Familiarize your organization with locations of local hospitals and clinics.  This is essential in bad weather situations, desolate areas or when it may be difficult to get a responder to the victim quickly
• The Journalistic- Investigative approach: Find out as much information as possible such as who is home, age of the victim, etc.
• The Where within the Where: Is this person in a retirement community?  Is there one centralized address with numerous apartment numbers?  This information is critical, as precious minutes can be lost trying to pinpoint a precise location.
• Communication: Encourage inter-office conversation.  Employees who talk to one another, have an easier time dealing with Critical Incidents, such handling heart attack or suicide calls.
• Training: Encourage your agency to send your call takers to Stress Identification and Management courses.  These classes are designed to help your dispatchers cope with the daily challenges they face.  Less stress = less risk of a heart attack for your employees.

Knowing the signs, symptoms and how to handle heart attack calls are an essential part of crisis communications training and instrumental in saving lives.

• Has your dispatch center done anything to highlight the importance of American Heart Month? 
• Can you offer other agencies suggestions to maximize the safety of heart attack victims?   

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