Some of MDFR's most important front-line emergency responders might never be seen by our community, yet they play a critical role in the resolution of every incident that MDFR handles.

When a person in need calls 911, an extensive communication network is instantly activated in order to properly route the call to all of the necessary agencies for dispatch. In many cases, a single emergency will require numerous different agencies to respond to an incident with coordinated action, but without the ability to communicate directly with each other unless they are face-to-face. A simple traffic accident can require transmission of critical information between victims, bystanders, and emergency responders from municipal law enforcement, highway patrol, fire rescue, receiving medical facilities and many others, who are all operating on different communication systems.

Emergency dispatchers do much more than just send units to an emergency, they are the vital communication link between all of the pieces of a very complicated, and often life-threatening puzzle. Emergency dispatchers are highly trained professionals with specialized skills used to guide victims or callers through very difficult circumstances in order to get pertinent and accurate information. They must then use that information to make critical decisions about what resources will be needed to effectively handle dynamic evolving incidents. The dispatcher's ability to maintain contact with the victim until help arrives, and communicate with numerous units and individuals while directing countless resources to different specific tasks, and simultaneously monitoring incident progress and patient status, is truly a heroic feat.

For information about calling 911 during an emergency, Click Here .