Improving EMS Patient Care with Communication Technologies

We sat down with Chief Barry Luke, Deputy Executive Director at the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC), to discuss how new communications technologies benefit EMS patient care.Chief Luke has more than 44 years of experience in public safety communications as a firefighter, paramedic and police officer. He’s well known in the public safety community as a vocal advocate of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) and respected leader on emergency communications. He also supported the development of the new resource, NG911 For Leaders in EMS. Q: Communication technologies are developing at a rapid pace. How will two significant ones, NG911 and FirstNet, work together? A: NG911 and FirstNet are complementary systems that will help prioritize and route data coming through public safety answering points (PSAPs). FirstNet provides a high-speed nationwide public safety broadband network, allowing first responders and public safety agencies to communicate with each other. NG911 is the critical IP-based communications system that will link emergency callers with public safety agencies. It’s the first piece of the puzzle that allows 9-1-1 access via voice, wearable technology like smart watches, or building sensors, all of which can send rich data to PSAPs. NG911 is the first half of the critical communication ecosystem that takes information from the public to the PSAP. The FirstNet network then delivers the information to first responders. They are two important system...
Source: JEMS Administration and Leadership - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Top Story Exclusive Articles Administration and Leadership Communications & Dispatch Source Type: news