So im gonna ask something fairly stupid probably.
Can EMS use a GPS?? i hear alot of them asking for pretty specific directions, and was wondering if they use one, or do they strictly rely on Maps?
thanks.
Occasionally you find an agency that has antiquated rules preventing this, but that's rare and getting rarer.
So to answer your question, generally speaking, of course they can use GPS. Many agencies do. Our ambulance is just old enough (2006) that it came without a built-in one so we use a smart phone app called Active911. When the call information reaches your phone, all you have to do is display it and tap on the location bar and it will display a map with the fastest route between where ever you are and the location of the call. It even allows your choice of Google, Apple, or Active911 mapping sources.
Some of my members who don't have the Active911 app on their phones will just pick a map source and enter the address. Same results there, too.
We're getting a new ambulance within the next few weeks, and I suspect it will have the full blown Ford AM/FM/GPS/satellite unit in it. Surprisingly, I don't expect we'll use the GPS in it much. The Active911 is faster and there's no typing necessary.
