Rural/Metro Western New York Communications Center primarily serves Erie, Niagara, and Orleans counties, in addition to routinely servicing the adjoining counties of Genesee, Wyoming and Cattaraugus. Our centralized Communications Center in Buffalo, NY receives and processes more than 110,000 requests for ambulance service annually.
Our Communications Center is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by 28 employees and includes Communications Supervisors, Information Systems Technicians, Dispatchers, and Call Takers. All Supervisors, Dispatchers and Call Takers are specially trained in and maintain certification for Emergency Medical Dispatching, New York State Emergency Medical Technician (Intermediate or Paramedic), American Heart Association CPR and APCO Telecommunicator training. Emergency Medical Dispatch training is provided through the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch.
Our Information Systems Technicians are responsible for the hardware, software and custom programming necessary for the operations of our Buffalo location. The Information Systems Technicians offer years of experience and training and provide multiple tasks critical to the daily operation of our center.
The daily operations of the Communications Center are overseen by the Communications Supervisors. The Supervisors work closely with the department Manager and assist other departments of the Buffalo operation.
The Communications Center handles both emergency and non-emergency requests. When an emergency request is received in our center, it is the responsibility of the Call Taker or Dispatcher to determine the urgency of the request. This is done by utilizing software provided by the National Academy of EMD Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), which is an expert system used internationally to identify the nature and urgency of requests. Using the MPDS questioning sequence, the patient's condition is evaluated and the appropriate response option is selected. Once this is done, the request is sent to the Dispatcher who will dispatch the ambulance and relay pertinent information to the responding ambulance. The Call Taker may stay on the line with the caller and provide pre-arrival assistance and support. This assistance may include providing the caller with instructions for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), the Heimlich maneuver for a choking patient, or coaching the caller in the delivery of a baby. These interactions assist our organization in maintaining immediate response and relaying critical information to responding units.
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