Emergency 9-1-1, help is a phone call away Published Nov. 20, 2006 By Tech. Sgt. Brian Davidson 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs 11/20/2006 -- No matter what the crisis, all Scott members can rest assured that help is always only a phone call away. In partnership with the local 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point, Scott emergency responders are on-hand every minute of every day to provide immediate emergency services whenever they are needed. No matter what phone an emergency call comes from, a duty phone, home phone or cell phone, the 9-1-1 operators in Belleville can pinpoint the caller's location and dispatch the appropriate help. While Scott Fire Department, Security Forces and medical services personnel are on-duty and ready to respond to any emergency on a moment's notice, it's the partnership with the 9-1-1 service that gets them where they need to be when they are needed. "If someone calls 9-1-1 from a phone on base, we know the exact location where that call is coming from immediately," said Nick Prsha, Public Safety Answer Point manager. "If someone calls from a cell phone, we have a system that tells us where they are within 50 to 300 meters in most cases." That system, known as Phase II wireless, has been in place locally since 2001, and was the first of its kind in the country. The system uses a GPS capability and an electronic map overlay to place a stick figure at the location of the caller, which allows the 9-1-1 operator to dispatch emergency responders without delay. "Our state-of-the-art capability, coupled with the training each operator receives, makes the difference between life and death for someone nearly every day," Mr. Prsha explained. "We receive many calls from people who don't know where they are, or who are unable to tell us where they are, but we can still locate them and get help on the way." A recent example of such a case was when a child in Mascoutah called from a cell phone because her mother and grandmother were being assaulted. Due to the technologically advanced system and the training of the 911 operator, police were on-scene within three minutes, even though the child reported their location to be more than 15 miles away from where they actually were. When a person calls 9-1-1 from anywhere on Scott, the operator will first determine the person's location and the nature of the emergency, and then connect the caller with the appropriate base agency - either Scott fire/crash rescue or the Security Forces. "We are on duty around-the-clock to take care of the base community for all forms of safety, fire, crash and medical emergencies," said Staff Sgt. James Harton, fire alarm communications center NCO in charge. "With the recent transition of Scott's Medical Group from a hospital to a clinic, many people don't know that we still provide first-response emergency medical services on base." Sergeant Harton explained that when the 9-1-1 center forwards a call to them, they immediately dispatch a fire/rescue crew and communicate directly with the base ambulance services to put a medical crew on-scene as well. Based on the nature of the medical emergency, the medical team provides life-saving care and ensures the person is transported to the proper level of medical care - whether it's St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville or a level-one trauma center in St. Louis. "Our mutual aid agreement with local emergency agencies also allows us to call upon them to help with any level of crisis on base, and also allows them to call upon us to assist off-base when required as well," Sergeant Harton said. "Even though there has been, and will continue to be, dramatic changes to on-base medical services, there has been no loss of the emergency response services that protect Scott members and their families," he added. When transferring a call to Scott, the 9-1-1 operator stays on the line with the caller to assist them with pre-arrival instructions. Every 9-1-1 operator is a fully trained and accredited member of the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatchers, and is required to maintain rigorous annual training and certification requirements. When taking a call for a medical emergency, the operator talks to the caller while they wait for help to arrive, instructing them on actions they need to take. "When a crisis happens, people are often in a state of panic and the operator helps them stay focused and as calm as possible," Mr. Prsha said. "They talk a caller through simple steps like turning on outside lights and unlocking the door, to more advanced life-saving steps like how to control bleeding and CPR." In addition to servicing the Scott community, the Public Safety Answering Point is the county hub for all of the local communities, and serves as the dispatch center for 46 local rescue agencies. There are 22 members of the call center team, with three people on duty most days and five at night and on weekends and holidays. In 2005, the center answered more than 129,000 calls to 9-1-1, and more than 350,000 calls between the emergency and non-emergency systems. They are also responsible for emergency and storm notification alarm systems and keeping local authorities informed when severe weather threatens. So, no matter what the emergency, help for all Scott members, no matter where they are, is only a phone call away.