EMS communication changes

[radioboy75]

This info from the Governor's office makes me think that perhaps in-the-clear EMS communications are going the way of the dinosaur, and comms will soon take place on souped-up cell phones. Thoughts?

Gov. Reynolds, Lt. Gov. Gregg announce participation
in new nationwide first responder network

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg announced participation in a new nationwide first responder network at their administration’s weekly press conference Tuesday. Iowa is one of the first states in the country to opt-in to the FirstNet cell network. The network gives priority to police, fire and other emergency workers during a crisis.

Until now, first responders have used more than 10,000 different networks to communicate, creating issues during emergencies. First responders have also had to compete with consumers trying to access the same cellular network.

With FirstNet, Iowa’s first responders will have special SIM cards for their smartphones, putting them first on the network to connect and stay connected. The system will also provide interoperability, allowing first responders from different agencies, jurisdictions or even over state lines to talk to one another.

Iowa’s opt-in also brings rural responders accelerated access to broadband services. FirstNet will help bring broadband 4G LTE to both citizens and public safety users in rural areas—some for the first time—helping erase the “digital divide” between the technologies available to urban versus rural areas.

“The FirstNet network will not only strengthen and modernize public safety communications in our state, but also bring much needed investment to our communications infrastructure,” Gov. Reynolds said. “The network builds on AT&T’s existing footprint to expand coverage and capacity. AT&T has invested nearly $150 million in its Iowa network infrastructure over the past three years. By partnering with FirstNet, we will be able to expand coverage for first responders. As a result, this will also help expand coverage for rural Iowans, providing access to a reliable, high speed wireless connection in areas with little or no connectivity today.”

Iowa incurs no risk, responsibility or cost for the FirstNet network and makes no commitment with this opt-in. FirstNet and AT&T will deploy, operate, maintain and improve the FirstNet network in Iowa and assume all responsibility for capital expenditures, operating costs and other costs like staffing, training, integration, environmental compliance and program management.

“Iowa, FirstNet and AT&T have formed an innovative public-private partnership to expand coverage, enhance capacity and launch new devices and applications for first responders,” Lt. Gov. Gregg said. “This network is designed specifically for Iowa’s public safety professionals, by Iowa’s public safety professionals. We wanted our brave men and women to have the best. This solution will help us continue to build a better Iowa by ushering in a new wave of innovation for Iowa’s first responders.”

 

[newsphotog]

Hmm. Well my first thought is that Iowa has been participating in FirstNet since before Reynolds was governor, and maybe even before that. Nothing new here.

Also, this doesn't mention anything abut EMS specifically.

Third, the first phase of FirstNet is data, not PTT voice. We are a long, long way away from voice communications taking place on the network. This is moving at the speed of a federal government-private sector partnership.

 

[radioboy75]

Well this is the first I've heard of FirstNet, so that's why I brought it up. Didn't realize that this wasn't the first time it had come up.

I live in the "outstate" (meaning not a metro), so to me, "First Responders" = EMS. From what I have observed, they are just the first people to get there and provide basic life support before an ambulance comes to transport the patient to the hospital. Is this not the definition of "first responder?"

As far as data, I'm not sure how much data is transmitted in my area. I would think not very much as I never hear about it on the radio (like "we're sending you a strip," etc.)

I'm not sure how it works, but I think to do EKG and so forth, there has to be a paramedic on board. In my area, in our larger small towns (over 3000 people) SOME squads have paramedics, and others still don't. Perhaps that's the reason? Just guessing.

 

[mws72]

Really what they are talking about is the fact in an emergency their cellphones will have priority over yours if you are just a taxpayer. Up in Northwest Iowa you don't have the mass of communication traffic going on as in Des Moines or even Eastern Iowa. So you shouldn't see a change as much in radio traffic.

The rate of law enforcement embracing encryption on their talkgroups is what will kill the hobby for most. Because, face it, most people buy scanners to listen to cops. Maybe they will branch off into other parts of the hobby but that will not be able to support domestic companies even if they are actually built in asia. After China, I don't know of another place on the planet for cheap labor. So maybe we will see complete robotic manufacturing of items. Raw material in and completed items out with no humans inside the factory.

 

[radioboy75]

Nice to hear from you, Michael! Haven't talked to you in a while. I guess things keep changing. And you're right about encryption. Luckily, not all chiefs feel the same. Maybe that will help. It's kind of the difference between if you think most people are good or most people are bad. Those chiefs that think good is in the minority logically think that they should protect their communications . . .

 

[firemedic78]

I guess in my opinion, First Responders are simply that, first responder. Doesn't have to be just be EMS, when you look at the whole big picture, law enforcement, fire department are also First Responders. Especially in bigger cities, who gets there first? Police officers do. They are already out on the street waiting for calls, vs the men and women working in the stations have to get the call, jump on the rig, turn it on, open the door, and roll, and especially even a little longer at night when they're sleeping, takes just a bit more time, when you've already got patrol cars on the street ready to go and with today's technology, and again this is coming from a firefighter, medic, and a dispatcher, we can send the closest law enforcement officer via their GPS, once we input the call into the CAD, it will automatically pinpoint the closest officer and they can get there before fire or EMS and start first aid, so really First Responders means everybody in public safety. As far as somebody's remarks above in regards to sending EKG over the data Port, you do not have to have a paramedic on board to transmit an EKG. EMT's and Advanced EMT's are trained to do take a 12-lead EKG, as long as it is in their protocols and medical director aproves it, and then transmit that to the doctor on the other end, therefore there is somebody trained to interpret the EKG, on the other end, and then that doctor or RN can advise you based on what you just transmitted over the EKG 12 lead data port, whether or not you need ALS or simple BLS transport. We can transmit 12-lead EKG via Bluetooth, we have a data Port Bluetooth system in our ambulance that can transmit. All we have to do is punch in the number to the hospital's data port number, and it will automatically transmit the EKG through our Bluetooth operated heart monitor, and we do not need a paramedic on board to do that. Even a 3 lead or 4 lead EKG, we can do a printout, just for ER purposes once we get there if we're not doing a 12-lead. I hope this kind of makes sense to some of you out there, I guess my main point to this is.... First Responders does not just simply mean medical First Responders, First Responders mean simply that, Public Safety First Responders, meaning anybody that gets to the scene first, whether it be law enforcement, fire department, or EMS, and my second issue I wanted to get across is no, you do not have to have a paramedic on board to run a 12-lead EKG if you're doing it to transmit to the ER doctor on the other end wanting to read it, or you can simply do a 12-lead and just print it out so you can show the ER doctor, or if you're going to be teiring with an ALS service, you can print one out to show the paramedic when they arrive. I like to do it initially at the scene, before we leave the residence or where ever the scene is, that way when we get to the hospital or when we tier up with a paramedic, they know what the Rhythm was like initially before they got involved with patient care. That has helped tremendously with getting Advanced Cardiac care to the patient much quicker. The doctor's or paramedics can see what they were like when we got there versus the change they are once the paramedic arrived, if there are even any changes at all, and they can see if the patient already had an MI( heart attack), or if they're in the process of having a STEMI( ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction....( layman term would be heart attack) so again I hope everybody understands this or at least has an idea of what the term first responder really mean and the fact that you do not need a paramedic to just simply print out a 12-lead or even a three or four lead and also to transmit a 12-lead.

 

[newsphotog]

Holy cow man

 

[firemedic78]

Yep, I'm known for my lengthy detailed posts, LOL, but at least they're detailed and I try to make it as understandable as possible. Usually doesn't work because halfway through people fall asleep, lol, but I try my best to make it as detailed as possible that way they understand. Sorry for making you read that long post, but I think by reading that, if people are awake by the end of it, understand the whole first responder issue and the mentioning about having to have a paramedic on board in the ambulance to do a 12-lead.

 

[burner50]

I guess in my opinion, First Responders are simply that, first responder. Doesn't have to be just be EMS, when you look at the whole big picture, law enforcement, fire department are also First Responders. Especially in bigger cities, who gets there first? Police officers do. They are already out on the street waiting for calls, vs the men and women working in the stations have to get the call, jump on the rig, turn it on, open the door, and roll, and especially even a little longer at night when they're sleeping, takes just a bit more time, when you've already got patrol cars on the street ready to go and with today's technology, and again this is coming from a firefighter, medic, and a dispatcher, we can send the closest law enforcement officer via their GPS, once we input the call into the CAD, it will automatically pinpoint the closest officer and they can get there before fire or EMS and start first aid, so really First Responders means everybody in public safety. As far as somebody's remarks above in regards to sending EKG over the data Port, you do not have to have a paramedic on board to transmit an EKG. EMT's and Advanced EMT's are trained to do take a 12-lead EKG, as long as it is in their protocols and medical director aproves it, and then transmit that to the doctor on the other end, therefore there is somebody trained to interpret the EKG, on the other end, and then that doctor or RN can advise you based on what you just transmitted over the EKG 12 lead data port, whether or not you need ALS or simple BLS transport. We can transmit 12-lead EKG via Bluetooth, we have a data Port Bluetooth system in our ambulance that can transmit. All we have to do is punch in the number to the hospital's data port number, and it will automatically transmit the EKG through our Bluetooth operated heart monitor, and we do not need a paramedic on board to do that. Even a 3 lead or 4 lead EKG, we can do a printout, just for ER purposes once we get there if we're not doing a 12-lead. I hope this kind of makes sense to some of you out there, I guess my main point to this is.... First Responders does not just simply mean medical First Responders, First Responders mean simply that, Public Safety First Responders, meaning anybody that gets to the scene first, whether it be law enforcement, fire department, or EMS, and my second issue I wanted to get across is no, you do not have to have a paramedic on board to run a 12-lead EKG if you're doing it to transmit to the ER doctor on the other end wanting to read it, or you can simply do a 12-lead and just print it out so you can show the ER doctor, or if you're going to be teiring with an ALS service, you can print one out to show the paramedic when they arrive. I like to do it initially at the scene, before we leave the residence or where ever the scene is, that way when we get to the hospital or when we tier up with a paramedic, they know what the Rhythm was like initially before they got involved with patient care. That has helped tremendously with getting Advanced Cardiac care to the patient much quicker. The doctor's or paramedics can see what they were like when we got there versus the change they are once the paramedic arrived, if there are even any changes at all, and they can see if the patient already had an MI( heart attack), or if they're in the process of having a STEMI( ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction....( layman term would be heart attack) so again I hope everybody understands this or at least has an idea of what the term first responder really mean and the fact that you do not need a paramedic to just simply print out a 12-lead or even a three or four lead and also to transmit a 12-lead.

I didn't read this entire wall of text, but I do agree that in general, first responders are anyone in the emergency services, not necessarily EMS.

To the OP: Most EMS to hospital communications are done by cell phone anyway. I don't give patient reports over the radio, and if I do, it usually consists of CPR in progress, meet me in the garage, 3 minutes out.

I would say that the state can take all of the regional EMS frequencies back and patient reports can be done on VMED.

 

[mws72]

When the State started to design the EMS communications statewide plans they ran into two problems. No money and the non-profit hospitals. If the plan had advance all patient reports would of been on the area channel and only out of the area units would use 155.340 for initial contacts. Also the 463 channels came into being in the early 70's. So the metro areas went to that.

 

[burner50]

When the State started to design the EMS communications statewide plans they ran into two problems. No money and the non-profit hospitals. If the plan had advance all patient reports would of been on the area channel and only out of the area units would use 155.340 for initial contacts. Also the 463 channels came into being in the early 70's. So the metro areas went to that.

Well, it's all on cell phone now, because receiving hospitals like having a name to put in the computer.

 

[mws72]

I first started listening to public safety on tunable receivers in the early 70's and even then when on the odd times I heard a patient report they used initials for id. I wondered why when MDT's started they were pushed for more secure medical reports.

 

[burner50]

I first started listening to public safety on tunable receivers in the early 70's and even then when on the odd times I heard a patient report they used initials for id. I wondered why when MDT's started they were pushed for more secure medical reports.

Most of the time, verbal communication is fastest. When I'm bouncing down the road, I can't really see the screen or type accurately enough to get a patient's information in an MDT.