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Communication Center is another thing the board is wanting to take away from the Cedar County.

by John Wilson on Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 9:51pm

St. John's communication specialists are responsible for receiving and coordinating the flow of information and services necessary for the efficient operation of St. John's EMS ambulances and St. John's Life Line helicopters.
All are skilled emergency medical dispatchers and are trained in flight operations, including radio communications, navigational and map usage, weather briefing, flight following, and data base management.
Communication Center
History
Technologies
Up to five emergency medical dispatchers are on duty 24 hours daily. Our certified advanced emergency medical dispatchers provide service for our ground and air EMS system.
St. John’s new EMS Communication Center incorporates premier equipment and technologies including a NENA (National Emergency Number Association) compliant E-911 phone system, a state-of-the-art CAD system and ergonomic workstations.
The new center is an eight-seat center providing call-taking and dispatch services in a “high performance” Emergency Medical Services System.
Each of the 33 staff members has a background in EMS, 911 communications, and/or aviation. They hold nationally recognized certifications from the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch and National Association of Air Medical Communication Specialists, and all are currently EMT-B or EMT-P licensed in the state of Missouri.
The EMS Communication Center receives and processes calls from 911 Primary Service Answering Points (PSAPs) as well as direct-dialed calls from the counties that are served by St. John’s.
In 2005, the center handled over 35,000 requests for an ambulance or helicopter. These calls are answered by Advanced Emergency Medical Dispatchers using call triage and interrogation methods with the help of the Medical Priority Dispatch System.
The callers are asked a series of questions, after which they are given post-dispatch and pre-arrival instructions. These instructions help the caller assist the patient prior to EMS arrival. The closest appropriate ambulance or helicopter is sent to meet the needs of the patient. The Emergency Medical Dispatchers frequently communicate with other community dispatch centers requesting and coordinating the response of other resources to the scene of a medical emergency (e.g., first responders, fire departments, extrication equipment, etc.).
As the service area grows, the Communication Center will continue to expand. In the years to come, technology will continue to advance and St. John’s EMS Communication Center is prepared to serve the community.
This was pulled from St. John's Web Sit, And I felt that this needed to be shared to all as a reminder
of the service that our Cedar County Ambulance Distric (Board Members) are wanting to take away from us. I challenge all cedar county taxpayers to step up for what we have, Speak out because your life may depend on it.

Cedar County First Responder volunteers are trained to attend emergency calls received by the ambulance service and provide care until the ambulance arrives.  Volunteers can arrive at an emergency scene in a matter of minutes, as they are sent to calls in their local area.  The schemes operate as a community partnership between St John Ambulance and other  local ambulance service trusts. Having someone in the community who has been trained in first aid and can reach the patient quickly makes all the difference. 
Volunteers operate as part of a rota system from their own home or place of work. They are dispatched at the same time as an ambulance via ambulance control to attend Category A 'immediately life – threatening' calls. These calls can include:

• cardiac arrest
• diabetic emergency
• unconscious patient
• breathing difficulties
• seizures.
•  etc....

 First Responders are dispatched to calls under all types of conditions using their own cars.This worthwhile role means that you can often be first on the scene to a patient in need, assessing the condition and prioritising your response. CFRs are trained to not only assess the immediate situation but also to ascertain a previous medical history while treating a patient. Sometimes they can simply be a very vital second pair of hands to an ambulance crew when they arrive.

And our very own CCAB Wants to call us out, Just for standing up for what we believe.  Only if they knew what they were doing. And how the county counts on us to be there.  The board needs to step back and take a breathe and get of there  power trip.

By John A Wilson Jr