The Dallas Fire Rescue Department began providing Emergency Medical Service (EMS) in 1972.  Our uniformed dispatchers always send the closest equipment necessary to handle any emergency and offer possibly life-saving medical advice.  They are a patients’ first contact with EMS.  Over the years, our dispatchers have been recognized for their outstanding efforts by outside agencies. 

Dallas Fire Rescue has an average response time of 4.3 minutes before help physically arrives at the scene of an emergency.  However, brain cells begin to die within 4-6 minutes and irreversible brain damage can occur with a cardiac arrest patient unless someone initiates CPR.  For every one minute that CPR is not initiated, patient survivability is reduced by approximately 10%.  In 2002, Fire Dispatch processed over 152,000 medical emergency calls.  Of these calls, approximately 20,000 were cardiac emergencies. 

Until recently, our dispatchers relied on their Paramedic training and field experience to provide medical advice.  In 1999, a standardized Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) system was placed in service.  This system ensures that uniform pre-arrival instructions and medically scripted protocols are given to all citizens. 

Our Medical Director, Dr. Paul Pepe, periodically reviews and updates the EMD system with new or revised protocols designed to improve patient care. 

In Dallas, EMD Certified dispatchers are not merely a patients’ first contact with EMS, they are first responders, able to provide CPR instructions immediately.  This saves valuable time, which results in improved patient outcome and numerous lives saved. 

EMD Coordinator Captain Janet Raysby Cowan administers our program.  She provides initial training, continuing education and a Quality Assurance Program. The Quality Assurance Program ensures that dispatchers understand and comply with changing protocols and procedures.  Finally, she is responsible for ensuring that we continue to meet the requirements to remain a State of Texas Certified EMD Program. 

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