Recently Explorer Post 60 took the opportunity to look behind the scenes of one of the most important parts of the Emergency Medical System (EMS): the call to 911. Communication Lieutenant John. H. Hackley, Jr., briefed the Explorers on the work of the Charles County 911/Fire & EMS Public Safety Communications Center (PSCC), and led the Explorers on a tour of the Emergency Operations Center and the main hub of activity. While in the call center, the Explorers got to see a 911 call in action and saw the procedures taken by the operators. Additionally, the Explorers learned how the county handles disasters such as snowstorms and hurricanes.
In addition to the Explorers getting a chance to learn more about EMS, the adult radio advisors, who are also members of the Charles County Amateur Radio Club, got the chance to explore the PSCC’s radio station. Besides learning more about how a call center works, the advisors saw ways to teach the Explorers how to better communicate on the radio and how radio is a part of community disaster response efforts. A quote from Rob Hoyt one of the adult advisors:
“For me as an amateur radio operator, I found the tour very interesting since we were able to go into the center and see the radio dispatchers in action. Since this post is tied to the Charles County Mobile Intensive Care Unit (CCMICU), it was also nice to see how the calls that go out to the squads and CCMICU start out and are generated. A county like Charles has a lot of people and a lot going on so it was no surprise that the 911 center was busy while we were in there, and they received a couple of 911 calls while we were observing them.”
As the Explorers consider a future in the Emergency Medical System, they will need to know the ins and outs of the job. The visit to the 911 call center was the first of many trips Explorer Post 60 will be taking as they expand their knowledge of EMS and other EMS-related activities. Such visits give the Explorers the opportunity to meet and talk directly with EMS personnel at all levels of disaster, from the individual needing urgent medical attention to the community recovering from a tornado strike.
Explorer Post 60’s activities are centered on emergency medicine and first aid, amateur radio, outdoor skills, and disaster response. For more information on post activities or joining the post, e-mail micu60explorers@gmail.com or Facebook @ExplorerPost60.