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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
A. What EMS Doestop Brooklyn College EMS provides Emergency Care services to the Brooklyn College Community and the surrounding areas. Most volunteers are students who volunteer their time as EMTs, ambulance drivers or dispatchers. Any student can volunteer without having any experience. B. The Layouttop The Brooklyn College Emergency Medical Squad is located in 021 Ingersoll Hall and is compromised of one main room, two offices and a storage room. In the front area is the dispatcher area that includes a desk, a base station, portable radios and all equipment that the Squad uses (both stored items and the various equipment bags). Also found in this room are the bulletin boards where announcements and messages are placed. When you walk in (even if it's not for a shift), please look around for any news that may concern you. If you need to leave anything for another member, mailboxes are located on the left side of the room by the bulletin board. The main room also consists of a recreational area, where a sofa, tables, a television set, and a computer are located. You are encouraged to come in when you are not on shift to relax, do homework, or just to meet your fellow Squad members. In one of the offices is another computer, which is available to all volunteers. The rule concerning computer use is that Squad business comes first, followed by schoolwork and then games. C. The Peopletop BCEMS has its
own hierarchy. A Board of Directors assists the Administrator, with each
member responsible for a particular aspect of operations. To learn the
names and functions of the Board members, please look on the dispatcher's
desk. Each May, elections are held to choose the members of the Board
for the next year. You must be a member of BCEMS for at least one semester
to vote in the elections. Candidates for each position must meet certain
qualifications.
NUMBER FUNCTION The duties of each board position are outlined carefully in the S.O.P. II. Starting Outtop When someone comes down to volunteer for the first time they start out as a dispatcher trainee. The role of the dispatcher is to receive the emergency information from a caller, relay it to the crew and maintain communication with the crew during the call. In addition, each dispatcher is responsible for training dispatcher trainees in the "art" of dispatching. a. Trainingtop All new members must be trained to become dispatchers, regardless of any special certifications (EMT, AFA) they may possess. This is to ensure that in the event a call comes in and there is no dispatcher on shift, any attendant, driver, etc. can stay in the office and dispatch while the rest of the crew responds to the emergency. As a dispatcher trainee, you are asked to schedule two hours per week for training (at least one hour straight). During this time, you will discuss any questions you have with your dispatcher. Your dispatcher, in turn, will demonstrate the skills outlined in this manual and prepare you for quizzes. You will answer the phone and handle all real or training calls. The dispatcher is always in charge of the call, not the trainee. Especially in the case of an emergency, following the dispatcher's instructions could mean the difference between life and death. Each trainee is required to have been evaluated on at least three emergency calls (real or training) in order to become a dispatcher. At the end of each call a quiz will be given to you. If the dispatcher on duty does not feel that you are ready to become a full dispatcher after three calls, you will have to take as many calls as necessary in order to be ready. If the dispatcher on duty does feel that you are ready to become a dispatcher, you must then pass the dispatcher test in order to officially become a dispatcher. If you fail to do even the minimum requirements, your membership in the Squad will terminate at the end of the semester. The work we do is serious, and we need dedicated individuals. If a trainee does not receive too many calls on his/her shift, training calls will be scheduled. These will be arranged by the dispatchers and should be given regularly if no true emergency calls are coming in. Trainees should treat training calls as they would treat real emergencies, since they will not know if the call was real or fake until after the entire "emergency" was over. You will be evaluated after each call (real or training) and judged on your ability to gather the information from the caller, relay the information to the crew and communicate with the crew over the radio during the call. You will also be evaluated on how confident you are during the call and how well you complete the paperwork that accompanies each call. b. Requirementstop Please be on time for your shift. If you can't make your shift or if you'll be late, be sure to call in and leave a message (as early as possible so that a replacement can be found). Each time you come in for a shift; note how long you stayed in the trainee logbook. If you are missing many shifts, we may ask you to leave the Squad. When you come into the office, check the bulletin boards for messages or notices. You must attend General Membership Meetings, as well as meetings for trainees or dispatchers. c. When you're proofed.top Once you have
passed all the written and practical exams and received the recommendation
of your dispatcher, you will be certified! With your new status as dispatcher
come several rewards. First of all, you will receive your very own one-of-a-kind
squad number (from the Personnel Officer). Once you have that, you will
also get a Squad I.D. card, on which you can list your status and any
certifications you may have (again, this is available through the Personnel
Officer). New dispatchers also receive stylish uniform shirts with their
name, which they wear for all of their shifts. Finally, as a dispatcher,
you will need to pick four hours for your new shift! B. Dispatcher's Domaintop The dispatcher's desk and its immediate area is the dispatcher's domain. The dispatcher signed on is responsible for maintaining the area's order and cleanliness. "Order" includes not only the neatness of the room, but also quiet. Remember, as a dispatcher you are in charge here! Only three people should be in this area: the dispatcher and two trainees. (No more than two dispatcher trainees may sign in at the same time and no trainee may sign in without a dispatcher on shift or in the room.) If a crowd is forming, ask/tell the people in the room to quiet down. Don't hesitate to ask non-members or anyone becoming a nuisance to leave - especially during a call. During a call, no one should be in this area except the dispatcher and trainees. Always keep the door closed during a call. In order to be perceived as professional, we have to look the part. All dispatchers must wear their uniform shirts on shift. When a dispatcher or trainee is on shift and finds that he/she has nothing to do, there are always chores to be done - sweeping the dispatching office, dusting the desk, and emptying the garbage pails. You may do your homework at the desk, but please leave your coats and bags in another area. You may not eat at the dispatching desk. When you are on shift, you should be sitting at the desk (not in the back of the room with your friends). If there are two trainees on shift at the same time, they should alternate weeks for sitting by the phone. When the phone rings, close the television or lower the volume. As soon as the dispatcher picks up the phone, there should be absolute quiet in this room! Remember, if it is an emergency, the dispatcher has to be able to hear the caller's information. No walkmans are permitted when you are on shift. The dispatcher's desk itself should be kept neat. There should be no clutter. The only things that should be on the desk are the log sheets/clipboard, logbook, and scrap paper. Under the plastic cover, you will find various sheets of paper that have information such as: 8 A list of
hospitals in the area and their emergency and non-emergency phone numbers,
the phone numbers for MARS where you get hospital statuses, poison control,
the police department, and other volunteer ambulance organizations III. SIGNING IN & SIGNING OUTtop A. The Log Booktop a. What to write.top Each time that you begin and end a shift; you are responsible for noting the time in our Log Book. As a dispatcher, you are responsible for keeping the Log Book accurate. The book is a legal document and can be requested for reference in a court of law. Because of this, please be careful with how you write in it. The following information should be recorded in the Log Book: 8 Opening/closing
the office Make sure that you know what you are doing before you write in the book- if necessary, write on a piece of scrap paper first and let your dispatcher check it. If you do make a mistake, do not black out the error. Instead, simply put a single line through the mistake and place your initials above the line. Only use black or blue ink and write legibly. Since the Log Book is so important, everything that goes into it must be in chronological order. Note the time in the left margin using military time. For example, 1:00 pm would be written as "13:00." Also, for times with only one digit (for example 9:00), use a zero in front- "09:00." If something wasn't logged, write "late entry" or "L.E." in the margin and then put the time and the event that occurred. Late entries should be kept to an absolute minimum! b. How to Write Namestop When you sign in yourself or anyone else, use only the first initial and the last name. Then write "in as" followed by the person's position. For signing out, do the same thing using "out as." The abbreviations for the various positions are: 8 Dispatcher
trainee: "disp. (t)" If more than one person is signing in or out at the same time, you can just write the time once and place a comma between the people's information. For example: 09:31 Y. Abraham
in as disp., J. Krivoruk in as Med- l, S. Zacaraev in as att. As a dispatcher trainee, you will be asked to sign crewmembers in or out. Do not sign them in unless they are wearing their uniform shirts! On a full crew, there would be a crew chief (Med-1), a crew chief trainee (Med-2), a driver (BC1), and a driver trainee (BC-2), up to three attendants or attendant trainees (BC Unit 1, BC Unit 2 and BC Unit 3), a dispatcher and up to two dispatcher trainees. This situation will rarely occur, but there will usually be a crew chief, a driver, at least one attendant and a dispatcher. During a call, the crew chief is in charge and all questions/issues should be directed to him/her. When there is no call in progress, the dispatcher is responsible for the office. When someone signs on or off shift make sure to write/erase their name on the board above the dispatcher's desk and to note their radio number and the channel they are on if they have taken a radio. IV. THE PHONEtop There are five telephones in the office, two of which are in the dispatcher area. During a shift, the dispatcher trainee sits behind the desk and answers the phone located there. Each time that the phone rings, the dispatcher should pick up the other phone (near the computer) and listen on the line. This ensures that the information that the trainee gets from the caller is complete and accurate. A. The Linestop The Squad uses
three lines: Do not use any line other than 5850 for personal calls!! If the line is already being used, you cannot make a call until the other person hangs up. If you expect someone to call you, be sure to give him or her that number. As the dispatcher or trainee, if a personal call comes in for anyone on 5858 or 5859, please ask the caller to call back on 5850. For all personal calls, the time limit is 5 minutes! If you see that someone is using the line for a longer period of time (or if someone is making a call on any line except 5850), don't hesitate to tell that person to drop the line. B. Using the Phonetop When the phone rings, a light will go on near the line that the call is coming in through. The phone must be answered before the fourth ring or the voice mail will answer it. To answer the phone, depress the lighted button and pick up the receiver. The correct (and only) way to answer the Phone (regardless of which line is lit) is: "Emergency Medical, may I help you?" To make a call within Brooklyn College, press the 5850 button (or 5859 if it is Squad business) and the button will light up. You just need to dial the four-digit extension. To call outside the college, dial "9" and then the seven digit number. C. Messagestop Besides emergency calls, the dispatcher often answers personal calls. Once the caller has asked for someone, ask who is calling and tell the caller that you will see if that member is in. Put the caller on hold. If the person is in, tell him/her who is calling and on what line. If the person is not in the office, tell the caller that you can take a message. When taking a message, use the pads that are available on the desk and be sure to include: 8 The caller's
name and organization (if applicable) After the message is complete, fold the paper in half and write the person's name on the outside. You can then place the message on the bulletin board near the desk or in the board member's box. D. Other Kinds of Callstop Occasionally, you will get unusual requests over the phone. People may call asking for another office in the college. Though we do have a telephone directory, you are not an operator and you should not feel obliged to give out phone numbers. Especially if you are busy, it is sufficient to tell the caller that you cannot transfer calls within Brooklyn College and that the number for the operator is 951-5000. If someone calls for information on a patient, DO NOT give it out. Each person treated by BC-EMS is entitled to confidentiality and refer all requests to BC-50 or BC-51. V. THE RADIOtop BCEMS's radio facilities are authorized by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), which regulates the equipment and its use. It is vital that you know-how to operate the radio system and how to communicate with others over it. Any violations of the FCC's regulations could subject the Squad to penalties, including possible revocation of our license. All members of the Squad are responsible for complying with the following procedures and regulations. The Squad uses a two-way radio communication system that consists of: 1. A base station
A. The Base Stationtop The base station of the radio is located on the table to the left of the dispatcher's desk. This is the piece of equipment that you will use to communicate with the crew. There is a microphone built into the base station, and when you speak you should not keep your mouth too close to the unit. The microphone is very sensitive and will pick up your voice from the distance of about 12-18 inches. It will also pick up noise from the office, so when using the radio be sure to tell others in room to keep the noise level down. 1. To turn
on the unit, flip the switch at the back of the base station (on the right).
Wait for the message "Pager No. =" to appear after a self-test
has been completed. To adjust the volume, turn the dial on the side of
the unit. B. Portablestop Below the base station are the portable radios used by the crew during the shifts. All the radios have a number on them. The dispatcher to keep track of which radios are being used uses this identification number. 1. To turn
these radios on or off, turn the volume control up or down. You will hear
a tone after the radio's self-test. · Channel
1: quick call You should
only concern yourself with the channels in bold print. 7. To set a
portable to quick call: To deactivate
quick call: All radio equipment should be tested every day to measure readability and strength. Using the following scale, the first number refers to strength (loud) and the second to readability (clear): 8 1 by 1: both
poor You can also
use intermediate numbers (like 2 by 3, 3 by 1, etc.). If you cannot get
a positive measurement, correct the problem by adjusting the volume or
ask the crewmember to change location and try again.
This book is used to record who takes out radios and when. It is located on the dispatcher's desk and it's your responsibility to make sure that it is accurate. Whenever a crewmember asks for a radio, note the number of the radio. Then, in the Equipment Log Book write down the first initial and last name of the crewmember, the number of the radio, that was taken out and the time. When the person returns the radio write the time that the equipment was brought back in. This book is also used to record other equipment like keys to the ambulance, and tech bags. Never forget to record when equipment comes in or out! If crewmembers change radios (as they occasionally do), sign the radio in under the first person's name and then sign it back out with the new member's name. This way, if anything happens to the equipment, we know whom to hold responsible. VI. COMMUNICATINGtop 1. When you are speaking over the radio system never use any names! 8 To contact
members of the crew, identify them by their functions (Med 1, BC-1, etc.).
To speak to a member of the crew: 8 Identify
yourself as "Med-base." For example: Disp: "Med-base
to Med-l." 10-Codes must
be used by all members during radio transmissions. If a crewmember uses
a 10-code the dispatcher must: For example: Med- 1: "Med-
1 to Med-base." Quick Call allows the portable radio to be used as a pager. If a crewmember is in class during his/her shift, the dispatcher can contact him/her without disturbing the other students. Obviously, if the member is in class, do not contact him/her unless it is an emergency. When quick call is used, only one member will be reached (regardless if other members are also on quick call). To reach someone using quick call (when you want to just give a beep, not a message): 8 Punch in
"0" followed by the radio number of the person you are trying
to call. Using this
method, you must wait for the member to contact you so that you can give
him/her your message. To use quick call and give a message at the same
time: Group Call
allows you to activate all the portable radios in use (not just one person,
like quick call). To use this: VII. OPENING/CLOSING THE OFFICE Now that you know how to use the radio, you can open and close the BCEMS office (if you have a shift very early in the morning or very late in the evening). According to federal law, radio stations in the emergency services must sign on and off the air whenever the transmitting equipment is turned on or off. a. To sign on the air:top v Turn on the
base station. When "Pager No.= " appears, keep F3 depressed
and say: v Call security
at extension 5511. v In the Log
Book: For example: v Call RCC: v Get Hospital
Statuses. b. Checking the messages.top 8 Get a pen
and paper. B. Closing
top For example: VIII. HOSPITAL STATUSEStop Hospital statuses allow the crew to know which hospitals are accepting patients and which are not. BCEMS only transports patients to a select number of hospitals, located collectively in "Brooklyn South." We can call one phone number and get all the information we need for our area, instead of calling each hospital individually. Hospital statuses must be obtained during every shift, at least every four hours. Some possible statuses include: 8 OPEN: This
means that the hospital is accepting all patients. A. To Obtain Hospital Statues:top 8 Be sure to
have a piece of paper at hand. You may want to write down the names of
the hospitals before you call, so that you can just write down the status
next to each hospital name as you are on the phone. For example: B. During a Calltop If, for whatever
reason, there is no answer at the number for hospital statuses and you
are in the middle of an emergency: IX. THE CREW BOARDtop The crew board
is located above the base station. It is used to record who is on duty,
what radios members have taken out and hospital statuses. X. A CALLtop You must be completely confident with handling a call. Of course you're not expected to do everything right your first time, but you definitely are expected to know everything. This would be the time to really use your dispatcher. Practice with him/her. It doesn't have to even be a training call- just ask for a scenario and go through the steps you would follow. A. Call Numberstop Each call is
given its own unique six-digit number. The first number is the last number
of the current year, the next two numbers are the month, and the last
three numbers is the number call we are up to in that month. For example:
If we were up to the 13th call in December of 2002, the call number would
be 212013. B. Ways of getting a Calltop · By
phone: An emergency call can come in through any of the three lines (5858,
5859, or 5850). This is why it is vital that at least one line is always
free! · Flagdown: This means that a crewmember or the entire crew was out and encountered an emergency. They can report it to the base using their radio. · 911:
Yes, sometimes even New York City needs us. The police or FDNY EMS may
ask us to respond to a call. While you're on the phone, get all the information
about the call as you normally would. Get the following information from
the caller: Put the caller on hold. Make sure that we have a crew chief on shift (not a crew chief trainee) and a driver (by looking at the crew board). The crew chiefs will then make the decision of whether or not we will respond, based primarily on whether the emergency is located within our response area. Under no circumstances is anyone but a crew chief allowed to decide that we will respond to this type of call! If no crew chief is available, the dispatcher or trainee can attempt to contact BC 50 or BC 51 if they are on campus. If not, then we cannot respond to the call. C. Our Response Areatop We can only respond to emergencies in the following locations: 8 The Brooklyn
College campus If a call is out of our response area, write down all the information as you normally would and tell the caller that we cannot respond. If the caller is not from emergency services, tell him/her to dial 911 or the local volunteer ambulance service. Then let the crew chief know about the call and log it in the Log Book and the Call Log Book.
When answering the phone, stay calm so that you won't miss any important information. If the caller is hysterical, your confidence will reassure him/her. It is your responsibility, regardless of the condition of the caller, to ask the right questions and get all the necessary information. · Get your clipboard. While the caller is on the phone, ask the first four questions on the Call Log Sheet in the order they appear. 8 Telephone
number the person is calling from: This piece of info is vital because
if we get disconnected for any reason, we must be able to reestablish
communication as quickly as possible. · Now, tell the caller that you are sending a crew out right away. Hang up and write the time that the call came in on the Call Log Sheet by "RCVD" (Received). From this point on, no one is to write anything in the Log Book. You are only working from the Call Log Sheet. If anyone has to sign in or out, it must be done on the call log sheet. Later, you can transfer it to the Log Book, but only once the call is over and the crew is finished with the paperwork. · Tell
your dispatcher about the call, though he/she should have been listening
on the other phone. 8 Ask the crewmember
to "stand by" (10-6). · If
the crew goes to the hospital, they will tell you they are "10-82"
and give you the name of the hospital, along with some other info. Just
repeat everything they say and state the time. You don't have
to memorize this. It can be found on a piece of paper near the base station.
E. Paperworktop · Now you can go to the Log Book. Remember, everything here must be in chronological order, so if anyone signed in or out during the call be sure to include that in the order of the call. For all the call information, write down the time and then the 10-code followed by the call number. For example: If more than one 10-code happened at the same time, you could write them on the same line. · The
Call Log Database is next. Ask the dispatcher on duty to sign in and fill
in the info. The "Patient Name" can be found on the top of the
PCR. The "Call Type" is the "nature of emergency"
from your Call Log Sheet. Write the times of the 10-codes in the appropriate
columns. If a 10-code doesn't apply (for example, 10-82), just skip it.
"Disposition" refers to the patient's status at the end of the
call. If the patient went to the hospital, write down the name of the
hospital here. If the patient refused medical attention (RMA), write down
"10-93." The crew chief's "EMT #" can be found at
the bottom of the PCR. "SFEO" refers to the patient- was he/she
a student, faculty, employee, or other? You can ask the crew chief for
this info, as well as for Patient Diagnosis. Finally, put the dispatcher's
name in the last column. F. Special Casestop Emergency calls
can come in different ways and there are some things to do in each case
that are different: XI. Other Stufftop · Hospital Standbys (10-51 or 10-52): When a crew chief asks for a standby, it means that a hospital's emergency room personnel must be waiting for the ambulance when it arrives. The crew chief would ask for this when the patient's condition is very serious, for example with cardiac or respiratory arrest or major trauma. To request a standby: 8 Ask the crew
chief for a base line set of vitals (blood pressure, pulse, level of consciousness,
etc.) and any other info he/she wants relayed to the E.R. Also ask him/her
for an E.T.A. (estimated time of arrival). · Hospital Notification: In this case, the crew chief would just like the hospital's emergency room to be aware that the ambulance is bringing in a particular case. Clearly state to the E.R. that this is only a notification, not a standby. Use the same speech as in #2 above, simply substituting "notification" for "standby." Never mistake a standby and a notification - they are very different! · Calling
for Paramedics: Sometimes, you will have an emergency that necessitates
transport, but there is no driver on shift or in the office. Or, the emergency
requires more advanced life support skills than we can provide. In this
case, Paramedics must be called. · Second
or Third Calls: Sometimes, a second call comes in while the crew is responding
to an emergency. If this happens: No one may respond without the primary crew chief's directions. · 10-13:
This is a very special 10-code used by crewmembers if they ever are in
a situation where they feel their lives are in danger. A 10-13 is given
by a crewmember, usually with a location. If no location is given, tell
the authorities to proceed to the location where the crewmembers were
last and try to determine a location from the crewmembers. In the event
a 10-13 is given, the dispatcher must: · Landline:
This is a very important code to know. Sometimes, the radio communication
is very poor and you will not be able to hear what your crew is saying
(this usually happens in certain areas of buildings or when the crew is
in a hospital). If you cannot understand a radio transmission: · Opening
Closing Mileage: Every day, the ambulance's opening and closing mileages
must be recorded. The driver will reach you over the radio and give you
the mileage: For example:
In the Log
Book, you would write: · Moving:
Another unlikely, but possible, event is that you may need to move from
the dispatcher's desk. If you do have to move, bring the clipboard, Log
Book, and a portable radio with you. 10-2…Report
to Base The codes in bold are codes that are used pretty often - make sure to memorize these codes. The underlined codes are those that are used during a call. Affirmative
- that is correct. 
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