AMR Sumter County Fire/EMS Earns Prestigious Accreditation
8.17.2020
The Communications Center is now an Accredited Center of Excellence.
(BUSHNELL, Fla.) – American Medical Response (AMR) Sumter County Fire and EMS Communications Center is taking center stage in recognition of achieving the most prominent distinction in 9-1-1 emergency communication services. The communication center is the 283rd emergency dispatch center in the world to attain International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAED™) status as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) for its use of the Medical Priority Dispatch System™ (MPDS®) and the 54th emergency dispatch center in the world to attain International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAED™) status as an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) for its use of Fire Priority Dispatch System™ (FPDS®). This distinction places it among the very highest-performing emergency dispatch agencies in the world.
Jacki Martin, Sumter Communications Manager, said her team is one of only 24 communication centers worldwide to have both Fire and Medical accreditations. The center, she added, dispatches for American Medical Response resources and for the county’s two fire departments, Sumter County Fire & EMS and The Villages Public Safety Department.
ACE inspires agencies to provide superior industry best practices in public safety and to employ efficient use of resources when handling all emergency call situations. Accreditation requires an intensive self-assessment based on the IAED’s rigorous Twenty Points of Accreditation. In order to achieve accreditation, agencies must meet or exceed all Twenty Points of Accreditation, which requires participation from the AMR operations manager, local fire administrators and medical director down to the individual emergency dispatcher. Because ACE agencies abide by these standards and have fulfilled these requirements, callers can have peace of mind knowing their needs will always be appropriately addressed and that they will receive the help they need.
“I’m extremely proud to work alongside such a dedicated group of dispatch professionals in Sumter County,” Martin said. “It is through their tireless efforts that we were able to achieve this recognition for providing the highest level of patient care.
It’s been obvious for a very long time that this team is truly the best at what they do. We want to acknowledge and express our gratitude for all of the support throughout this process from AMR administration and our partner agencies, SCFEMS and VPSD. We must also acknowledge Sumter County administration and our University of Florida Health Medical Director Group for their contribution in this achievement.”
The AMR Sumter County Fire and EMS Communications Center is the county’s secondary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), with the first being the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. Martin said the center is also a Florida Public Safety Telecommunicator Training Center.
“To work as a dispatcher in Florida, you’re required to obtain a Public Safety Telecommunicator certification,” she said. “We’ve developed a 331-hour curriculum which has been approved by The Department of Health.”
AMR Sumter EMS is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS).
Jacki Martin, Sumter Communications Manager, said her team is one of only 24 communication centers worldwide to have both Fire and Medical accreditations. The center, she added, dispatches for American Medical Response resources and for the county’s two fire departments, Sumter County Fire & EMS and The Villages Public Safety Department.
ACE inspires agencies to provide superior industry best practices in public safety and to employ efficient use of resources when handling all emergency call situations. Accreditation requires an intensive self-assessment based on the IAED’s rigorous Twenty Points of Accreditation. In order to achieve accreditation, agencies must meet or exceed all Twenty Points of Accreditation, which requires participation from the AMR operations manager, local fire administrators and medical director down to the individual emergency dispatcher. Because ACE agencies abide by these standards and have fulfilled these requirements, callers can have peace of mind knowing their needs will always be appropriately addressed and that they will receive the help they need.
“I’m extremely proud to work alongside such a dedicated group of dispatch professionals in Sumter County,” Martin said. “It is through their tireless efforts that we were able to achieve this recognition for providing the highest level of patient care.
It’s been obvious for a very long time that this team is truly the best at what they do. We want to acknowledge and express our gratitude for all of the support throughout this process from AMR administration and our partner agencies, SCFEMS and VPSD. We must also acknowledge Sumter County administration and our University of Florida Health Medical Director Group for their contribution in this achievement.”
The AMR Sumter County Fire and EMS Communications Center is the county’s secondary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), with the first being the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. Martin said the center is also a Florida Public Safety Telecommunicator Training Center.
“To work as a dispatcher in Florida, you’re required to obtain a Public Safety Telecommunicator certification,” she said. “We’ve developed a 331-hour curriculum which has been approved by The Department of Health.”
AMR Sumter EMS is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS).
