1) DIAL 9-1-1 in St. George and Dorchester County if you have an emergency.
2) TELL the dispatcher about what happened. Be calm and speak slowly. Explain the type of emergency. Give your name and the phone number of the telephone you are using. Give the exact address of the emergency.
3) ANSWER questions like:
- Is anyone hurt? How many?
- Is the injured person conscious? Are they breathing?
- Can the injured people talk? Can they move?
- Is there a fire?
- Is anyone trapped?
4) LISTEN to the instructions the dispatcher gives you.
5) Don't hang up until the dispatcher tells you to. Don't leave the scene of the emergency until help arrives.
Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMD's)
Sometimes EMTs are 911 dispatchers, who answer calls for help, provide emergency care instructions to bystanders on the scene and send ambulances and rescue vehicles to the scene of the emergency.
Paramedics (EMT's)
Paramedics are EMTs with the highest level of training. They are able to perform many medical procedures at the scene of the emergency, or in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
Paramedics possess Standing Orders that allow immediate treatment of patients without needing to consult with physicians. Using a radio to communicate, paramedics can also get orders from a doctor at the emergency room.
Paramedic skills include those of the EMT, with the addition of EKG monitoring and interpretation, defibrillation, cardioversion, pleural decompression, IV, sub-cutaneous, intramuscular and endotracheal medication administration.
All that technical "stuff" means they have the tools, the skills, and the training to save your Life in an emergency. Above all else, try to stay calm. Help is on the way!