The North Platte police department, which operates the Lincoln County 911 center, has been recognized for excellence in emergency medical dispatching.
Officially, the dispatch center now is an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE). It is the 354th medical ACE in the world, awarded by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.®
Some of the 911 dispatchers were on hand Tuesday night at the North Platte City Council meeting to accept a plaque recognizing their achievement.
North Platte Fire Chief Dennis Thompson said the accreditation speaks volumes about the professionalism at the communication center, which is located at the public safety building and serves a wide area of North Platte, Lincoln County and Gothenburg.
Thompson said the North Platte Fire Department is the only paramedic ambulance service in our area, “providing advance life support services to our community and 15 area departments through mutual aid agreements, (so) we experience firsthand the benefits of this standard of excellence.”
“The information they gather allows our personnel to begin their patient assessments and consider treatment plans much earlier,” he said. “This can have a profound effect on patient outcomes. Congratulations to all involved.”
IAED is the standard-setting organization for emergency dispatch services worldwide.
IAED recently presented the North Platte police department with an accreditation plaque to commemorate their achievement.
“We know their community can count on these first, first responders to do an outstanding job,” said IAED Board Chairperson Christof Chwojka in a prepared statement.
The IAED accreditation is the culmination of a lengthy, arduous process that includes the completion of the 20 points of accreditation, a detailed evaluation of performance by industry experts, and a final review and ruling by IAED.
Accreditation (and subsequent re-accreditation) is the highest distinction given to emergency communication centers, certifying that the center is performing at or above the established standards for the industry. Centers who earn ACE status are the embodiment of dispatch done right, and have demonstrated strong local oversight, rigorous quality processes, and a commitment to data-driven continuous improvement, the announcement said.
Accreditation is valid for a three-year period. Emergency communication centers can earn multiple accreditations, one for each emergency discipline they service (medical, fire, police, and emergency nurse triage).
More than 3,500 emergency communication centers worldwide use the medical, fire, police, and emergency nurse triage protocols developed and maintained by the IAED. The protocol-based system—known as the Priority Dispatch SystemTM, is recognized as the standard of care and practice for emergency dispatch, and is used in 46 countries.
About IAED
For more than 40 years, the IAED has been the standard-setting organization for emergency dispatch and response services worldwide, and is the leading body of emergency dispatch experts, the announcement said.
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