question:  Is it normal procedure to dispatch whomever is closest?
TT>Wouldn't it have saved precious minutes had the dispatcher contacted
the fir TT>department right after dispatching an ambulance?(The nearest
FD to the TT>location is less than a mile away.)  Obviously these people
knew what they'd TT>be dealing with before they arrived on the scene....
TT>Any light anyone can shed on this will be greatly appreciated.
Hello there. To answer your questions, Yes it is normal( and mandatory
if you follow any prehospital guidelines) to dispatch the closest EMS
unit to the scene of a call, because every minutes counts. As to
dispatch the fire department because of the prementionned weight of the
patient, I personnaly think it would have been a good idea. However,
other factors may have prevented the dispatcher from doing that, such as
the fire department being already on a call, bad relations with the fire
department( I Know, it shoulnd not change anything in demanding help,
but...) the ambulance company ( if it is one) will be renewing their
contract and don't want to look bad, any other reasons or none of them.
        I cannot answer your question for that particular event; Here in
Montreal, we usually call for another ambulance as soon as we know( the
crew not the dispatcher) that we wil need help. If it is too far or not
available, we'll ask for the fire department, the police, or even use
bystanders to help us. To quote someone i know," Hindsight has 20/20
vision". The best thing you could do is write to the EMS service and ask
them these questions, and keep us advised of course.
        Stephan Gascon
        Ambulance Technician
        Corporation des Urgences Sante du Montreal-Metropolitain
        ( ambulance service of Montreal)
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