Brunswick County 9-1-1 was one of the first Communication Centers in southeastern North Carolina to receive State Licensure as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center by the North Carolina Office Of Emergency Medical Services.

Specially-trained Emergency Medical Dispatchers question callers using scripted medical cards, determine the appropriate level of response (emergency or non-emergency), and provide pre-arrival and post-dispatch medical instructions to callers seeking emergency medical assistance from 9-1-1.

Use of the Emergency Medical Dispatch system has a number of advantages, including the following:

• "Zero-Minute" response time for emergency calls.
• Decreased risk to public and emergency responders from unnecessary use of lights and sirens.
• Increased accuracy and brevity of information relayed to field responders.
• Helps to round out the delivery of care at all levels of patient access into the EMS System (i.e., from initial call for help to arrival at the hospital).
• Improves the safety of responders by providing consistent information about the scene and/or caller.
• Helps to reduce burn-out and stress-related anxiety by improving information relayed to field responders.

When you call Brunswick County 9-1-1 to report a medical emergency, remain calm and be prepared to answer the following questions:

• Where is your emergency (the exact location)?
• What is the phone number you are calling from?
• What's the problem (describe exactly what happened)?
• How many people are hurt/injured?
• How old is the patient?
• Is s/he conscious?
• Is s/he breathing?
• Is the patient male or female?