GILROY
– Gilroyans in an emergency can now get instructions on
lifesaving medical procedures over the phone.
On Sunday morning, the city of Gilroy and Santa Clara County
began a first-of-its-kind partnership that will lease county
emergency medical dispatchers to Gilroy’s 911 service.
GILROY – Gilroyans in an emergency can now get instructions on lifesaving medical procedures over the phone.
On Sunday morning, the city of Gilroy and Santa Clara County began a first-of-its-kind partnership that will lease county emergency medical dispatchers to Gilroy’s 911 service.
Now if someone calls 911 to report an acquaintance’s cardiac arrest, for example, the dispatcher will be trained to coach the bystander to administer CPR on the victim.
Under the year-long contract, a fully-trained county emergency medical technician/911 dispatcher, or emergency medical dispatcher, will be available 24 hours a day to provide emergency assistance and instructions to Gilroy 911 callers.
Gilroy’s dispatchers are not currently trained to give over-the-phone advice like the EMDs, who have the certification to walk a victim, relative or an acquaintance through several lifesaving medical techniques.
“This is a big step for Gilroy,” said Geoff Cady, the GFD’s fire-EMS analyst who plans to work with Gilroy’s own dispatchers in the coming years so they can receive full EMD certification. “It shows our city’s commitment to provide for the safety of our citizens.”
Several other county cities already have EMDs in place, including Morgan Hill and San Jose, but this is the first time the county has contracted out an EMD to a city, Cady said.
The price tag for the program is $25,000, which will come from the Gilroy Fire Department’s budget.
According to the contract approved by City Council and County Board of Supervisors, the county’s EMS dispatchers located on Communication’s Hill near Highway 87 in San Jose will respond to Gilroy dispatchers requiring advanced medical instruction.
Gilroy dispatchers headquartered in the basement of Gilroy’s police station will connect the calls to county dispatch after recording the address of the call and dispatching paramedics. The medical dispatchers in San Jose will continue to provide first-aid instructions to the caller until paramedics arrive on scene.
“It’s important because in emergencies like this minutes and even seconds become crucial,” Cady said.
