TULSA, Okla. — Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) honored its dispatchers for National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.
At EMSA, this team is more than just a voice on the phone. They're the people who get help to you as quickly as possible when you need it most.
With 174,026 inbound calls in 2023 alone, EMSA says it's always ready for action.
Dispatcher and Communication Supervisor Rebecca Mejia walked 2 News Oklahoma through what happens when you call 911 for a medical emergency.
"We find out exactly where in the city they are and then what is going on with them," Mejia said. "Prioritize it according to just the acuity of what's going on and then send the closest appropriate ambulance to that call."
But the paramedics need to know where to go. Mejia said that's her first priority.
"We just ask where they're at. Get a good address," Mejia said. "If they don't know the address, sometimes we can see their location within a certain meter radius. Other times they'll know or be like, 'Hey, I'm at this specific business,' and we can find them from there."
Once they have a location, the ambulance is on its way.
Meanwhile, dispatchers don't sit idle. EMSA says all of them are also EMTs, and Mejia has a decade of experience as one.
"I do have a perspective on like where things are in Tulsa or have run all those medical calls before and so I kind of know how to coach the person through that scenario," Mejia said.
This coaching makes all the difference, as every minute counts until help arrives.
"We walk people through how to do CPR, how to put on tourniquets, how to do the Heimlich maneuver, how to position someone after a seizure, and just talking them through all these different emergencies," Mejia said.
It's a high-pressure job. But for Mejia, it's a calling.
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