Communication Center
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St. John's communication specialists are responsible for receiving and coordinating the flow of information and services necessary for the efficient operation of St. John's EMS ambulances and St. John's Life Line helicopters.

All are skilled emergency medical dispatchers and are trained in flight operations, including radio communications, navigational and map usage, weather briefing, flight following, and data base management.

Up to five emergency medical dispatchers are on duty 24 hours daily. Our certified advanced emergency medical dispatchers provide service for our ground and air EMS system.

St. John’s new EMS Communication Center incorporates premier equipment and technologies including a NENA (National Emergency Number Association) compliant E-911 phone system, a state-of-the-art CAD system and ergonomic workstations.

The new center is an eight-seat center providing call-taking and dispatch services in a “high performance” Emergency Medical Services System.

Each of the 33 staff members has a background in EMS, 911 communications, and/or aviation. They hold nationally recognized certifications from the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch and National Association of Air Medical Communication Specialists, and all are currently EMT-B or EMT-P licensed in the state of Missouri. 

The EMS Communication Center receives and processes calls from 911 Primary Service Answering Points (PSAPs) as well as direct-dialed calls from the counties that are served by St. John’s.

In 2005, the center handled over 35,000 requests for an ambulance or helicopter. These calls are answered by Advanced Emergency Medical Dispatchers using call triage and interrogation methods with the help of the Medical Priority Dispatch System.

The callers are asked a series of questions, after which they are given post-dispatch and pre-arrival instructions. These instructions help the caller assist the patient prior to EMS arrival. The closest appropriate ambulance or helicopter is sent to meet the needs of the patient. The Emergency Medical Dispatchers frequently communicate with other community dispatch centers requesting and coordinating the response of other resources to the scene of a medical emergency (e.g., first responders, fire departments, extrication equipment, etc.).

As the service area grows, the Communication Center will continue to expand. In the years to come, technology will continue to advance and St. John’s EMS Communication Center is prepared to serve the community.

The EMS Communication Center receives and processes requests for:

Helicopters are located in the following areas and cover southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas:
 ¢ Life line 1 is located in Branson West.¢ Life Line 2 is located in St. Robert.¢ Life Line 3 is located in Bolivar.