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When seconds count ...

In a challenging environment, communication is a prerequisite.

In the emergency services space, time is a luxury. From negotiating heavy traffic to trying to locate patients in many instances, the odds are usually stacked against the team responding to an incident.

“This makes the ability to communicate in real-time on a second to second basis critical,” says Zubair Munshi, MD, Altech Fleetcall. “Emergency services personnel need to not only receive important information from the dispatcher, including updates about location, the condition of the patient and potential danger to themselves, but they also need to give the dispatcher equally important information that can be communicated to the hospital and doctors.”

Despite this however, many emergency services personnel are still forced to make use of antiquated localised two-way radio repeater systems when in the field, often resorting to their own cellphones in a bid to get through to the dispatcher. “This can have significant consequences, both for the patient and the ambulance crew themselves,” says Peter van der Spuy, GM, quality and support services at ER24. “Even though there are currently no officially required response times in the South African system, one’s chances of assisting the victim most effectively are greatly increased if the emergency team reaches the incident as soon as possible. While response times of 15 minutes for high acuity calls in urban areas are considered acceptable, in situations where the patient is having a heart attack, has been in a traffic accident or is the victim of a violent crime, a quarter of an hour is often just too long to wait. This was one of the key reasons that we implemented Altech Fleetcall’s radio trunking system.”

Radio trunking involves the automatic and dynamic allocation of a small number of radio channels to a large number of radio users. “This makes communication with one’s fleet not only easier, but more effective and cost-efficient,” says Munshi.

Unlike traditional radio communication systems, radio trunking controls and guides users to a free channel, eliminating the problem of users exceeding the number of channels provided. This allows dispatchers to be in instant contact with each of the ambulances operating in their sectors and redirect resources as needed.

Because radio trunking is set up to cater for multiple calls of short duration, it is ideal for emergency service operators according to Munshi. “An added advantage of Altech Fleetcall’s system is that it can trunk multiple radio frequencies, eliminating the long queues usually experienced when waiting for single frequencies. Its linkage of multiple high-sites also guarantees national coverage – even in rural areas and off the South African coast. As such, we have been able to provide ER24 with what amounts to its own virtual, private network.”

The system has also been designed to be very user-friendly, especially given the context of most emergency situations. “Pressing the PTT (press to talk) button once establishes the call. Connection then takes between 250 and 300 milliseconds depending on the type of call. In an emergency situation where the crew is in danger or needs help immediately, the operator can make use of the emergency button on the radio, and will be instantly connected to a predetermined recipient or base station,” explains Munshi.

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