Technology at Tri-State Ambulance
 As
a forerunner in Emergency Medical Services, Tri-State Ambulance continually
strives to offer our patients and other stakeholders the most appropriate
and timely medical response. A large part of providing such a service
is the implementation and integration of various components of information
technology of which some of these are outlined below.
IT information request contacts:
Matt Zavadsky, Director:
608-784-8872
Tom Tornstrom, IT Coordinator:
608-784-8872
Nick Eastman, IT Team Member
Smitty Searles, IT Team Member
Samantha Hilker, IT Team Member
Electronic Patient Care Reporting (ePCR)
Tri-State Ambulance utilizes electronic patient
documentation that allows our EMS providers to easily submit and obtain
patient medical and
demographic information while in the field. Critical patient
information such as 12-lead EKGs, vital signs, and certain advanced
procedures can be monitored in real-time by receiving emergency department
physicians. Completed patient care reports are automatically
transmitted electronically to the appropriate receiving hospital to become
part of the patient's medical record. A continuous connection to our
dispatch center allows synchronization of call times and patient data while
on the fly.
Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD)
 EMD,
also known as Emergency Medical Dispatch, is a set of dispatch
protocols and computerized flow charts that allow our
dispatchers to prioritize 911 medical calls based upon the patient's
severity of illness or injury. Furthermore, the EMD protocol allows
for our highly trained dispatchers to provide lifesaving instructions over
the phone while waiting for our paramedic to arrive. These critical
few minutes from 911 call to EMS arrival can greatly affect the patient's
eventual outcome. Tri-State Ambulance is actively working with local
governments to offer EMD service to our entire 2,200 sq. mile service area.
Global Positioning System (GPS) Tracking
 The
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a common
technology that Tri-State Ambulance has taken a step further for use with
our fleet and administration. All of our ambulances are equipped with
advanced communication devices that, among other things, are configured to
transmit GPS data to our in-house GPS server running GPSGate Server by
Franson. Once this data is
received, we are
able to overlay our ambulance positions onto road maps,
aerial satellite images, weather radar maps, terrain and contour maps, and
even live traffic condition reports. In addition to utilizing these features, we can also cluster plot present and historical EMS
responses onto current GIS demographic trends to assist in projecting long
range EMS needs.
TSA Net - Company Intranet
 Tri-State
Ambulance employees, dispatchers, and managers all utilize an internal web
based Intranet to access important work related information. Service
area announcements such as road closures, threatening weather, fleet issues,
and special events are relayed to field personnel through TSA Net. In
addition, paramedics and EMTs are able to view and access medical protocols,
medication information, shift calendars, and company policies. Ambulance
readiness checks as well as mechanical issues are entered into TSA Net for
trend analysis and historical tracking.
Connection, Connection, Connection!
The ability to implement and utilize the resources
mentioned above requires
each ambulance to be continuously connected to the Internet. In
 order
to achieve this, Tri-State Ambulance has partnered with
In Motion Technology to
install its
onBoard
Mobile Gateways into each ambulance and support vehicle.
These mobile gateways create a VAN (Vehicle Area Network)
Wi-Fi access point that allow our mobile computers to connect wirelessly to
the Internet, our internal network, and our dispatch center. The gateways also incorporate
GPS receiving and forwarding that send NMEA data to our in-house GPS server.
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