XI. Other Stuff
Hospital Standbys (10-51 or 10-52)
When a crew chief asks for a standby, it means that a hospital's emergency room personnel must be waiting for the ambulance when it arrives. The crew chief would ask for this when the patient's condition is very serious (e.g., cardiac or respiratory arrest or major trauma). To request a standby:
- Ask the crew chief for a baseline set of vitals (blood pressure, pulse, level of consciousness, etc.) and any other info he or she wants relayed to the emergency room. Also ask him or her for an E.T.A. (estimated time of arrival).
- Look on the dispatcher's desk for the number of the hospital's emergency room.
- When you call, identify yourself:
"This is 93John, dispatcher (squad #) requesting standby for (state the type of case enroute) with an E.T.A. of (give time obtained from the crew chief)."
Example:
"This is 93John, dispatcher 808 requesting a standby for a 65 year old female in cardiac arrest. Our E.T.A. is 5 minutes."
Hospital Notification
In this case, the crew chief would just like the hospital's emergency room to be aware that the ambulance is bringing in a particular case. Clearly state to the E.R. that this is only a notification, not a standby. Use the same speech as in #2 above, simply substituting "notification" for "standby." Never mistake a standby and a notification — they are very different.
Calling for Paramedics
Sometimes, you will have an emergency that necessitates transport, but there is no driver on shift or in the office. Or, the emergency requires more advanced life support skills than we can provide. In this case, Paramedics must be called.
If the crew chief asks you to call for ambulance because we don't have a driver:
- Call 422-7393 (the number for hospital statuses). Identify yourself as 93John and tell them that you need an ambulance to transport a patient. Give them whatever information about the patient that the crew chief has given you.
- Brooklyn College's official address is 2900 Bedford Avenue. The crew chief will usually give you a specific location where the crew will meet EMS.
- Ask the EMS dispatcher for an E.T.A.
- Don't forget to get the dispatcher's number and the job number. If you need paramedics for advanced life support, follow the same procedure, but be sure to tell them that you need paramedics and the reason.
Second or Third Calls
Sometimes, a second call comes in while the crew is responding to an emergency. If this happens:
- Stay calm.
- Take down the information as you normally would.
- Notify the crew chief of the location and nature of the call.
- If there is another crew chief in the office, let the crew chief on shift know.
- Follow the instructions of the primary crew chief.
- No one may respond without the primary crew chief's directions.
10-13
This is a very special 10-code used by crewmembers if they ever are in a situation where they feel their lives are in danger. A 10-13 is given by a crewmember, usually with a location. If no location is given, tell the authorities to proceed to the location where the crewmembers were last and try to determine a location from the crewmembers. In the event a 10-13 is given, the dispatcher must:
- Notify the crew chief (if he or she is not with the crew that is in danger).
- Notify security if the call is on campus.
- Notify the police department (911). When calling security, tell them the location and that your crewmembers' lives are in danger. Stay calm. Your quick and effective response will ensure that the crewmember's lives are not endangered. Record everything that happens during a 10-13 in the log book.
Landline
This is a very important code to know. Sometimes, the radio communication is very poor and you will not be able to hear what your crew is saying (this usually happens in certain areas of buildings or when the crew is in a hospital). If you cannot understand a radio transmission:
- Ask the crewmember to 10-5 (repeat the message).
- If you still cannot hear the message, ask the person to landline (which means that he or she will call the office by phone).
Opening and Closing Mileage
Every day, the ambulance's opening and closing mileages must be recorded. The driver will reach you over the radio and give you the mileage:
- Have a piece of paper nearby to write the number.
- Repeat it to the driver, one number at a time.
- Record the mileage in the log book.
Example:
BC 1: "Standby for today's opening mileage."
Disp: "Go ahead."
BC1: "Today's opening mileage is 4356."
Disp: "10-4, opening mileage is four, three, five, six."
In the log book, you would write:
09:31 Opening mileage: 4356
Moving
Another unlikely, but possible, event is that you may need to move from the dispatcher's desk. If you do have to move, bring the clipboard, log book, and a portable radio with you.
