Two Minutes To Live

Charleston County, South Carolina, Deploys GIS for Improved Emergency Medical Services Response

Read the whole article if you care about people living and dying … especially if it were your son or daughter lying in the road waiting for an ambulance. The most important parafraph is here:

“I’ve been really excited about just how much improvement there has been since we started using this solution,” says Don Lundy, EMS director, Charleston County, South Carolina. “This is a very sophisticated system that helps dispatchers visually understand, before an incident occurs, where vehicles are, what the coverage is, and where they need to be. Then when an incident occurs, it takes the guesswork out of finding the best route. I think conservatively it can save two minutes on a response. That might not sound like much, but it can mean all the difference in a response to someone who makes an emergency call and has chest pain.”…

This is not a salesman talking. It’s not a GPS “geek” who thinks in terms of toys as solutions for problems yet invented.  It’s a real-world person who knows the realities of life in the tranches. A man who deals with the politics of county government, the seemingly endless realities of budget shortfalls, the disappointment of promises made by suppliers and then not fulfilled.

Don’t take my word, take his. How many ambulance runs does your city/county/commerial EMS provider make in a year? Multiply that by two. No go to the chief of Emergency Services aat the best tramau hospital in your area and ask him/her how many lives could be saved with that many minutes available. The answer will surprise you.