“Niagara EMS has implemented various dispatch related improvements that have resulted in a reduction of response times for all emergent calls by 1.5 minutes (unpublished data) – a rare phenomenon in emergency medical dispatching.

The most successful of the local initiatives by the dispatch service is the HeadStart911 program. This innovative computer-based program integrates 911 phone call locations to activation of belt pagers carried by paramedics who are closest to the caller’s location. The effect is that paramedics can roll out toward the scene of a potential emergency call before the Emergency Medical Dispatcher even speaks to the caller.

According to Niagara dispatch personnel this initiative has been the single most successful innovation responsible for reduced paramedic response times.” - Greg Soto, BEd, BA, ACP - Education Coordinator, Niagara Regional Base Hospital Paramedic Program, Niagara Health System