Alexandria, Va. – Hopewell (Va.) Police Department recently implemented the APCO Institute Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Program. The agency employs 11 staff members who provide police, fire and emergency medical dispatch call taking and dispatch services for the city of Hopewell. In 2019, the agency received over 80,000 calls for service. With APCO EMD certification, the agency’s staff is now specially trained to provide medical assistance to callers while emergency responders are en route.

The APCO Institute EMD Program is based on national standards and provides agencies with a systematic way to manage emergency medical service (EMS) resources in an organized and effective manner. APCO’s EMD Program enables trained telecommunicators – through the use of guidecards and software – to quickly assess a caller’s emergency situation and to provide consistent, medically approved assistance over the phone while trained EMS responders are en route to the scene.

“Having an EMD Program in place at an emergency communications center can often mean the difference between life and death,” says APCO Institute Director Sarah Burtner. “We frequently hear from our customers stories about how providing pre-arrival medical instructions to callers has saved lives and improved patient outcomes.”