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The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAED™) Fire Council of Standards has approved the release of an updated version of the Fire Priority Dispatch System™ (FPDS®). FPDS version 7.0 includes significant changes and new additions in an effort to help emergency dispatchers send a faster, more informed response.
In what is the largest FPDS release to date, this new version implements revisions from more than 200 proposals from change. Version 7.0 includes adjustments to existing Pre-Arrival Instructions (PAIs) and Post-Dispatch Instruction (PDIs), which will more effectively assist emergency dispatchers as they guide callers through lifesaving actions while waiting for firefighters and other emergency personnel to arrive on the scene.
The IAED is also excited to announce that version 7.0 also includes six new protocols, which will place the emergency dispatcher in a role as a rescuer. These additional protocols are:
- Backcountry Rescue
- Lost Person
- Outside Tank Fire
- Sinking Vehicle/Vehicle in Floodwater
- Vegetation/Wildland/Brush/Grass Fire
- Weather/Disaster Situations
The decision to make these significant changes largely came from an increase in catastrophic events and record numbers of callers requesting assistance. In recent years, there has been an escalation in deaths from fires and these related incidents. The IAED saw a crucial opportunity to create these new protocols and make changes to current ones.
Data showed that six new rescue scenarios would be beneficial and that these would help the emergency dispatcher send a more informed response earlier in the questioning sequence. Catastrophic even data also showed that emergency resources were quickly depleted, delaying first responder arrivals or even making them impossible. Acting on further data, the IAED decided that FPDS v7.0 needed to move away from the prevailing “shelter in place until the firefighters arrive” position and instruction in instances where death is imminent.
“One of the most notable new features of the FPDS v7.0 is a shift in philosophy with respect to intervention in caller/bystander safety with Dispatch Life Support Instructions,” said Mike Thompson, IAED Fire Council of Standards Chair. “In past versions, a primarily passive approach was taken to some caller actions. In many situations, the default instruction was to do nothing and wait for the Fire Department to arrive. The IAED Fire Council of Standards and the FPDS in some immediately or potentially immediately life-threatening situations is now taking a much more dynamic approach.”
Priority Dispatch® has also updated the protocols in its ProQA® software to reflect these FPDS v7.0changes.
“At the Academy and Priority Dispatch, our goal is to help the emergency dispatcher do his or her job better,” said Dr. Jeff Clawson, Chair, Rules Committee for the IAED Medical Council of Standards. “This increases safety and effectiveness for the first responders and creates better outcomes for callers. By implementing the IAED’s FPDS v7.0 changes in ProQA, we know that certified emergency dispatchers using ProQA have the best and most intelligent tool available to reliably and efficiently help their callers and first responders.”
For more information about FPDS v7.0and the IAED, visit the website at http://www.emergencydispatch.org. For more information about how the Medical Priority Dispatch System can increase the effectiveness and safety of your EMS system, visit prioritydispatch.net.
About the IAED
The IAED is the world’s foremost standard-setting and certification organization for emergency communications with over 64,000 members in 46 countries. More than 3,000 communication centers in 23 languages employ IAED’s protocols and training in medical, fire, and police dispatching.
About Priority Dispatch
Priority Dispatch supports emergency dispatch centers around the world with the technology, tools, and training required to meet the needs of all types of dispatch environments. As the exclusive licensee and distributor of the IAED’s unified protocol systems, Priority Dispatch integrates these protocols with the technology of ProQA®software. ProQA enables dispatch operators to respond confidently and accurately with time-tested and proven logic from the top minds in the industry across the world, plus the expertise of over 90 million dispatch calls.