The new dispatch system provides background info to ambulance crews and makes it easier to track location of ambulances
SPRINGFIELD - American Medical Response is spending more than $200,000 to upgrade its computer-aided dispatching capabilities.
"It's like having a new car," says David L. Pelletier, American Medical Response general manager for Western Massachusetts. "Even though the new system is only about 80 percent installed, I'm just so happy and proud."
The new system was expected to go live on Sunday, Pelletier said. The old system has had some tweaks over the years, but the guts of it date back to 1996 or 1997, Pelletier said. That's about the same time AMR moved into its Springfield headquarters at 595 Cottage St.
"The technology is just so much better," Pelletier said. "Just the general environment of the center is more up-to-date. It probably exceeds up-to-date."
The new system figures out which AMR ambulance is closest to a given call, something dispatchers used to eyeball with their intuition and experience. It also makes it easy to dispatch silently via a computer with a touch screen and not rely on verbal instructions in a noisy environment.
The new dispatching system can also give ambulance crews background information on where they are going. For instance, if the last crew that went to an address had trouble with a mean dog or if medics will need to punch an access code to get where they are needed.
"I think the customer will definitely notice the difference as things get smoother," Pelletier said. "The patients will still get great care in the street."
With 275 employees, American Medical Response is the largest ambulance service in this part of the state. AMR employees handle dispatching for medical emergencies in Holyoke and Springfield; 911 dispatchers transfer the call to AMR and stay on the line to monitor events.
AMR ambulances respond to calls in those cities as well as East Longmeadow, Wilbraham and other Western Massachusetts communities. Springfield alone generates approximately 32,000 calls for assistance each year.
The contract American Medical Response has with the city expires in the fall, Pelletier said. The company plans to bid for relationship to continue.