Two hours at dispatch (911 call center)

 As an embedded librarian, all of my agencies want me to be familiar with all aspects of prehospital emergency medicine and disaster preparedness - which is why I spent time observing emergency dispatchers at work.  Dispatch (aka MECA or the  Communications Division, City of Indianapolis) is staffed with folks who answer incoming 911 calls and send police, fire and EMS to the scene of an emergency.  Dispatchers ask callers a series of questions based upon their chief complaint (chest pain, motor vehicle accident, difficulty breathing, etc) in order to send out the correct apparatus and provide life-saving instructions over the phone.  Their questions are all organized in a flip chart, right next to their computers. Computers now take on much of the work of calculating the nearest response vehicle to an emergency scene, but just in case the computers stop working, it's always good to have a print back-up.  Hence the giant map of the city pictured below.

Are you wondering how this might fit in with my work as an information professional?  It's good to know how information flows into and out of the 911 system, and to hear their terminology  - this can only help refine my research.  And I know from previous research that a lot of literature exists on the best practices of prioritizing and dispatching emergency calls.  So if dispatch or medical direction ever wants to reassure themselves that they're still using the best practices available, I bet I know who'll be doing that literature search.   There are always opportunities for research, and the more familiar I am with the work, process and the language, the better resource I'll be to them.

I'm grateful that I got the opportunity to watch the dispatchers at work, and happy to know they'll quickly send out appropriate help if I ever have to call 911.  Thanks to Shijuana for teaching me the ropes.  

Map of Marion County/Indianapolis fire stations