Communication Centres
For most people, the Ambulance Communications Centre staff are the first contact they have with the QAS. Therefore we ensure that the staff of our Communications Centres in Townsville and Mount Isa are highly trained and able to undertake the tasks of receiving calls from the public, providing advice to callers and utilising the available systems to ensure the best possible response for our clients. The Regional Communications Manager has the role of overseeing operations of both of these Communications Centres, and reporting to the Assistant Commissioner on their performance.
The Communications Centres receive calls via 000 and also through direct contact with the centre on listed numbers. Any 000 call made to the centres will be directed to the most appropriate (closest) centre for response. Both Townsville and Mount Isa Communications Centres have Caller Line Identification (CLI) systems installed so that callers to 000 have their address displayed on a computer screen. This provides an advantage to Communications staff if information regarding location of an emergency is difficult to obtain, eg if caller is panicking or unable to speak due to illness, or if the call is lost. The CLI only provides location for landlines, not for mobile phones.
In both Centres Communications staff are trained to use a Medical Priority Dispatch System to aid in the prioritising of calls for assistance. This is a system which is used in many locations throughout the world, and involves asking a series of questions of the caller regarding the condition of a patient. This enables the call taker to determine the priority of the case compared with other cases occurring at the time. This prioritising also determines whether the case is responded as an emergency (with lights and sirens) or normal vehicle response conditions.
In Townsville a Computer Aided Dispatch System is used to aid in prioritising and managing vehicle and staff resources. The Townsville Communications Centre manages the resources of 14 stations, as well as the Queensland Rescue Helicopter. Tasking is also undertaken for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Both Communications Centres are operational 24 hours per day 365 days per year. They maintain communications via a telephone, radio and pager network throughout their areas, and at times with other areas. Backup resources are available in the event of fault or failure so that no calls for ambulance assistance will go unanswered. The QAS Communications Centres are a vital part of the region’s service provision.
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