Communications and Dispatching

The public can call for assistance by using the 9-1-1 system. In 1984 county wide coverage was achieved. (LAEMSA, 1986, p. 4-17) PAC Bell and GTE provide the equipment for this service in the civil disturbance area. The county paramedic communications system ties together paramedic providers in the field with base hospitals. Thirty-two base hospitals participate in the system. Communication is accomplished by telephone or use of a MED radio channel. "There are an estimated 200,000 radio contacts from field personnel to base hospitals annually." (LAEMSA, 1990, p. 4-6) The Los Angeles County Fire Department provides services to fifty-three cities and is divided into eleven-dispatch zones. Thirty-three cities are not part of the county dispatch system, having their own arrangements, either public or private, for providing EMS care. The Cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles are responsible for providing emergency ambulance services within their own boundaries. There are a number of different ways of dispatching emergency vehicles and configuring their response in the county. Some cities dispatch a BLS unit, others an ALS unit and fire engine company or some combination thereof, to an incident. Los Angeles County and Los Angeles City Fire Departments are responsible for dispatching EMS services to approximately two-thirds of the county's population. Los Angeles County Fire dispatches a fire engine and a non-transporting paramedic staffed vehicle to the scene as well as a private ambulance for transport. (LAEMSA, 1991, p. 5-13.) Los Angeles City uses a priority dispatch system based on medical complaint. Pre-arrival instructions to care for the patient are provided. They dispatch fire personnel who both treat and transport. Seventy-six hospitals use ReddiNet, a computerized hospital emergency department status reporting system. This group includes: five county hospitals, twelve of the thirteen trauma centers, and twenty-eight of the thirty-two base paramedic receiving hospitals. Most of the hospitals in Los Angeles County with an emergency department, are equipped with a "HEAR" radio. This frequency is used for emergency voice communications. Hospitals without a HEAR radio or ReddiNet rely on telephone communications when a disaster occurs.

Medical Care for the Injured

Continue to Patient Transportation

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