Article Highlights
- The problem: Manual EMS communication with citizens during emergencies
- The solution: PowerEngage, community engagement software
- The benefits: Streamline communication, save time, and improve safety for citizens and first responders
The problem: Manually informing citizens
Health emergencies evolve rapidly. You may respond to a call about a citizen’s arm pain, only to arrive at the scene to find that person in cardiac arrest. Proactive communication is vital to ensure first responders and citizens know what to expect when the ambulance arrives. But, many EMS agencies have to rely on manual communication channels that require excessive effort, staffing, and back-and-forth. This inefficient communication during emergency situations makes it challenging for citizens to prepare for EMS arrival and for your staff to respond efficiently.
Technological advancements complicate matters further since citizens are used to receiving goods and services faster than ever before. As a result, citizens expect the same from their medical services, particularly in emergencies. Many EMS agencies often fail to meet the expectation for proactive, real-time updates because they lack streamlined, automated communication channels.
As a result of costly, time-consuming communication, citizens experience delays or even errors in service that impact their safety. These mistakes understandably lead to frustration, negatively impacting community satisfaction with your service.
The solution: EMS software
There’s a straightforward way to keep citizens informed during emergencies. PowerEngage, intuitive EMS software by PowerDMS, facilitates streamlined communication between first responders and the community.
During an emergency response, this community engagement software sends emergency dispatch text messages to citizens that contain step-by-step updates. These texts include information about response delays, pre-arrival information, and more. Because these texts are automated, you keep citizens informed during every step of their call without requiring extra staff or time.
After an emergency is resolved, PowerEngage automatically sends an EMS patient satisfaction survey through text to callers, victims, witnesses, and others based on CAD and RMS data. These surveys allow citizens to say “thank you” to EMS responders after certain interactions. Additionally, this community perception survey asks citizens to indicate their overall satisfaction with your service, so you gain valuable information about where improvements may be needed.
You can also keep citizens informed about large-scale emergencies through public relations and social media posts. The PowerEngage EMS software includes a free press kit and social media guide templates. Now you can easily prepare media announcements and proactively communicate during major events like natural disasters.
The benefits of community engagement software
Because PowerEngage improves communication during emergency situations and keeps citizens informed every step of the way, community members feel valued and heard by your agency. Citizens can also share their appreciation with first responders so EMS employees know the positive impact they have on people's lives. As a result, PowerEngage’s two-way communication channels build goodwill between EMS agencies and the community.
This EMS software also saves time by automating communication so EMS providers can quickly inform citizens about the status of an emergency response. PowerDMS’s citizen notification system thus improves the preparedness and safety of both citizens and EMS responders in the field without requiring additional staffing resources. And, because everyone is safer, your EMS district can avoid liability risks and focus on providing the best emergency medical services possible.
Learn more
Schedule a demo today to learn more about how PowerEngage can streamline your citizen communication.