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Emergency Medical Response If you call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, you will be offered instructions to assist the patient until an ambulance arrives. Response goal for ambulances are 4 to 6 minutes within the city, but emergency medical instructions can mean the difference between life and death. The city of Roanoke provides a First Responder Program in which a fire engine responds to certain types of life threatening emergencies. This program has saved lives by improving response time and utilizing firefighters who are trained as emergency medical technicians. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST FREQUENT MEDICAL EMERGENCY CALLS TO 911? Animal Bites Often assumed to be a less dangerous type of injury, if bitten on the facial area or on the neck, an animal bite can be life threatening. Bleeding Depending the type of bleeding (trauma or non-trauma), bleeding can range from minor to severe. Instructions can be given to control the bleeding until an ambulance arrives. If too much blood is lost, it can result in shock or loss of life! Assaults Assaults can also range from minor (abrasions, lacerations, etc.) to serious injuries (stabbings, gunshot wounds, head injuries, etc.). Instructions can be given to control bleeding and stablize the patient until an ambulance arrives. Police also respond with rescue to assault reports. Chest pain Many times, those suffering from chest pains assume their pain is coming from another source, such as indigestion. If the pains continue the patient could be suffering from a heart attack. The patient (or caller) will be asked to explain the type of pain and other symptoms that may be occurring (sweating, dizziness, arm and neck pain, etc). Vehicle Accidents Most times when citizens report vehicle accidents, it is unknown if the persons are injured. It is important that the caller report if someone is trapped in the vehicles, if the vehicles could be on fire, and if any gas or fluids are leaking from the vehicles. If you do not know if there are injuries related to the accident, an ambulance and fire engine are sent to the scene, along with police. Extracation equipment will also respond with equipment such as the "Jaws of Life". CAN A 911 DISPATCHER HELP ME PERFORM CPR? CPR instructions can be given over the phone. You don't need to be trained to save a life! Dispatchers are trained to determine if CPR will be needed. In 4-6 minutes, a person who has stopped breathing can die. While the ambulance is on the way, the person calling 911 can be told exactly what to do to administer life saving breaths and chest compressions to greatly increase a person's chance of survival. WHAT IF I CAN'T PERFORM LIFESAVING TECHNIQUES? Remember...emergency medical instructions will be offered, but not all can perform the instructions given to them. The dispatcher will try to calm someone who is frantic and try to assure that help is on the way and attempt to offer instructions until the ambulance arrives. However, every situation is different. There will be times when an elderly person may not be able to lift the patient to check for breathing, or a child caller may not understand what is told to them. The dispatchers will not force anyone to perform emergency care. |
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| City of Roanoke Virginia Office of Emergency Management 713 3rd Street SW, Roanoke, VA, 24016, 540-853-2426 | ||||||||||
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