The importance of knowing who to call in an emergency

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Since the emergence of emergency telecommunications in the early years, the residents of the East Meadow Fire District have had the sanctity of calling the East Meadow Fire Department direct 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Although campaigns to promote our emergency line at 542-0576 have increased the awareness of our residents, a number of fire calls are still routed through the 911 system. Here is what our residents should know.

First and foremost, the 911 system is an outstanding system to get you help wherever you may be. But in the East Meadow Fire District lies a "state of the art" Fire and EMS Computer Aided Dispatch that can make a difference in the time it takes to alert your East Meadow Firefighters or Medical Technicians.

When a call comes in through 911, it is routed through the Nassau County Fire Commission (Firecom) in Westbury. Upon receipt, the Fire Communications Technician intern contacts the East Meadow Dispatch so the EMFD can be alerted. The receiver of this emergency call is actually the person you could have called directly, if you placed your call directly to the EMFD. Hence, critical time saved.

Your East Meadow volunteers boast some of the most respected and consistent response times in the Long Island Fire Service. In most cases, volunteers are at your door within three to six minutes of your call. Predominantly, when a question is raised of a response time to an emergency, it is later found that the caller did not call the EMFD directly.

Two of the most common thoughts that come to the mind of our emergency responders are:

1. that fires can double in size every 30 to 60 seconds depending on the material burning and the phase of fire. Thus any time saved no doubt makes a difference during a serious fire. In EMS situations, similar time lost can make the difference when a loved one is taken ill.

2. That, in an anxious situation, seconds can feel like minutes, as witnessed by residents and Fire Chiefs alike who are awaiting the arrival of the members and equipment.

If you need the East Meadow Fire Department for a Fire or EMS emergency, follow the instructions on your phone sticker. Stickers are distributed annually. If you don't have stickers we ask that you contact the Chiefs Office at 542-0580 or write this author at JOBrien@EastMeadowFD.Com.

In years passed, communication experts have stated that the average civilian will make one true emergency phone call in their lifetime. Here are a few helpful tips on how your information can best be gathered.

1. Calm down and collect your thoughts. Many times easier said than done.

2. Know the address from where your emergency is. Many time callers are at locations other than home.

3. Speak clearly. This will reduce errors and reduce time on the phone call.

4. Do not hang up until the emergency dispatcher has all information or tells you to.

5. Follow all instructions given by the dispatcher pertaining to your emergency.

6. If you use the services of a baby sitter, make certain your sitter has all the emergency numbers to call for help.

7. Teach your children early. Particularly if an adult in the family has a medical issue. We see this often where an adult falls critically ill, and a child makes the difference in getting help. In these cases, 911 is the preferred method to teach for its simplicity.

8. Have a phone nearby your sleeping quarters so help can be called for if your primary phone cannot be reached.

On behalf of the officers and members of the East Meadow Volunteer Fire Department, we hope you never need our services, but we stand ready at all times in the event you need us.