Chatham County's 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center is certified by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED). This certification allows the telecommunicators to provide medical instructions to the caller while Emergency Medical Services are enroute to the location. Certain questions are requested of the caller to provide vital information to the units responding to the call.

When calling 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, the telecommunicator will ask the following questions:

What's the address of your emergency?        What's the phone number you're calling from?         Okay, tell me exactly what happened. Are you with the patient now? How old is he or she? Is he or she awake? Is he or she breathing?

These questions serve as a starting point to assist the telecommunicator in selecting the appropriate protocol for each call for help.  Examples include abdominal pain, allergies, animal bites, back pain, breathing problems, chest pains, seizures, diabetic problems, falls, hemorrhage, pregnancy and childbirth, and stroke. After the telecommunicator selects the appropriate call type, they will continue with questioning and give the caller proper instructions to assist the patient before an ambulance arrives. These instructions could vary from calming and comforting the patient, giving instructions for CPR, childbirth, or to control bleeding.  These questions and instructions are necessary to gather precise patient information for responders and DO NOT slow down the response of medical units.

Links for Emergency Medical Dispatch