Anchorage fire department establishes life lines: making a difference with innovative digital technology.

• Author: Anderson, Tom
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Telecom & Technology

There isn't much worse in life than experiencing a medical emergency, either first hand or through a loved one.

Some exigent circumstances may be as simple as a broken finger, while others can be as traumatic as a house fire. The thought is unnerving. The reality is terrifying. Resolution most often comes from a team of dedicated firefighting and paramedic professionals who arrive expeditiously, ready to engage the problem.

But who directs the process? Is there a conduit between the crisis and the solution where some of the most remarkable and unsung heroes can make a difference?

Welcome to the job of saving lives through the purview of the Anchorage Fire Department (AFD) dispatcher unit.

Changing Dispatch Models

With technical progress and notable expertise blossoming over the last decade, the most recent success within the AFD Dispatch came in April 2014 after a researched and deliberate revision to the 911 EMS call intake process was made. Fire Captain and Dispatch Supervisor Mark Monfore notes, "Our new model for intake and response is Criteria Based Dispatching, which is guideline-based and contoured around medical knowledge instead of pre-scripted protocol inquiries, and it is saving lives."

Monfore adds that the intent is to identify and rule out critical body sys tem failures in the cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems. "We want to assess if the problem is a cardiac arrest, first and foremost, because every minute that goes by the patient has a 10 percent less chance of recovery, so time is truly of the essence for dispatchers and responders," he says.

Monfore has been at the helm of the Dispatch team since April, taking over for Al Tamagni who, prior to retirement, worked to build and modernize the systems and protocols. Monfore embraced the results his team has been generating as cardiac arrest survival rates in Anchorage have doubled the national average because of the Department's pre-arrival instructions to initiate early and continuous CPR.

Monfore started as a dispatcher when he joined AFD twenty-two years ago, so he understands the nuances. As does Lead Dispatcher Stephenie Wolf, who delineates the fact that dispatchers have to be a "rock in the storm" while controlling and assessing an emergency or problem to provide the fastest response.

Wolf explains there are a total of sixteen dispatchers and four lead dispatchers, all of whom are working twelve-hour shifts throughout the week in a control center at Fire...