KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - In recognition of National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 11 - 17, 2004, Public Health - Seattle & King County and its King County Emergency Medical Services Division honored the work of emergency 9-1-1 dispatchers through the Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) of the Year award.
"Providing life-saving instructions to citizens over the phone is a critical activity performed by our 9-1-1 dispatchers," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "We want to recognize the important role dispatchers play in providing assistance during medical emergencies."
This year's award winner is Ellen Venard, a 9-1-1 Call Receiver employed by Valley Communications Center in Kent, Washington. Venard was recognized for her delivery of CPR instructions over the telephone to a caller reporting a cardiac arrest on July 16, 2003 in Kent. In selecting Ms. Venard, award reviewers cited her compassion during the call as noteworthy.
"Bystander CPR has been shown to improve survival for persons in cardiac arrest," said Dr. Mickey Eisenberg, Medical Director for the Emergency Medical Services Division, who helped pioneer the delivery of CPR instructions by dispatchers in King County in 1981. "Over the last 20 years, dispatcher-assisted CPR has allowed thousands of persons in cardiac arrest to receive CPR who might not otherwise have benefited from this life-saving technique."
Valley Communications Center provides police, fire and medical dispatching for local law enforcement, fire and paramedic agencies in the south region of King County. Approximately 60,000 emergency calls for medical assistance are processed each year by Valley Communications.
King County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) operates in a coordinated partnership with six dispatch centers, six paramedic providers, and 35 fire departments. Funded through a countywide EMS/Medic One Levy, King County EMS utilizes a layered-response system providing a continuum of care for people in need of emergency medical services. For more information on King County EMS, visit www.metrokc.gov/health/ems.
