Madison County Sheriff’s Office is making every second count for 9-1-1 callers

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) - New life-saving services are coming to our 9-1-1 service in Madison County.

Calling 9-1-1 can mean a matter of life and death when it comes to saving a person's life.

The Madison County Sheriff's Office is making every second count.

They have formed an Emergency Medical Dispatch Response Committee.

Dispatchers will be able to give life-saving directions over the phone before first responders arrive.

"This is going to be greatly beneficial for the community as a whole. Anybody that calls 9-1-1 wants to get help as quickly as possible but there's only so much time responders can get there," Madison County Sheriff's Office Dispatch Supervisor Whitney Hansen said. "So in the meantime anybody that's there that is willing to help, we're going to be able to walk them through how to best help that person that's in need."

The Madison County Sheriff's Office has teamed with the Rexburg Police Department and Madison County Fire Department.

As part of dispatch training, they are working with medical professionals and must be CPR certified.

"Our dispatchers have completed as far as their certification training. They've made it through that but we have to learn how to use the computer program. Then there'll be a quality assurance committee to make sure that our dispatchers are following those protocols correctly. That to make sure we're not giving incorrect information," Hansen said.

Rescuers say it's not just important for callers to be as descriptive as possible while reporting a medical emergency, you also need to listen up.

"Be prepared for multiple questions from the dispatcher. Those questions will help us dispatch determine the best way to help the person in need. Those questions are vitally important to dispatchers when giving answers to those questions to assist," Hansen said.

The committee held its first meeting Tuesday. They expect to launch the new program in the next month or so.