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Form of workJob Summary:
The LIFE FORCE Emergency Communications Specialist at Erlanger facilitates Air Medical Flight Operations, Event Medicine and Special Operations Team Communications, Regional Medical Control and Coordination and Erlanger Emergency / Disaster Preparedness and Response Communications, both internally to Erlanger and externally to the EMS and healthcare community, within an advanced, technology-intensive regional operations center. The position is variable in shift assignments including nights, weekends and holidays and requires regularly scheduled on-call shifts. Work assignments may include response to off-site incident locations with the mobile communications center deployment.
For Flight Operations, the Emergency Communications Specialist is responsible for the intake of air medical flight requests from 911 centers and hospitals within the southeastern states served by LIFE FORCE, working closely with pilots and other air medical transport providers to monitor weather and navigational aids for safe completion of patient transfers and aircraft movement, providing aircraft flight-following per FAA regulations under FAR Part 135 operations, coordinating the safe operation for aircraft arrivals and departures at the Erlanger Heliport (0TN8), maintaining radio communications with aircraft and ground emergency services in a complex public safety environment and facilitating an interoperable communications plan for each air medical mission.
For Event Medicine and Special Operations Team Communications, the Emergency Communications Specialist is responsible for establishing and managing on-scene and deployment communications with the LIFE FORCE Event Medicine Team(s), Special Operations Teams, regional Tactical (SWAT) Medical Teams, between law enforcement team liaisons and between the teams and EHS medical staff.
For Regional Medical Control and Coordination (MedComm), the Emergency Communications Specialist is responsible for coordination of emergency medical communications between ambulances and hospitals within Tennessee EMS Region 3 and additional coordination as necessary with hospitals and emergency services in adjoining regions and states. Duties include the facilitation of online (radio, telephone) medical control and consultation between prehospital care providers and physicians assigned to the Emergency Medicine residency and/or EMS Fellowship programs, under the direction of the MedComm Medical Director. Additionally, the Emergency Communications Specialist is responsible for coordinating all Emergency Medical Service (EMS) resources and responses to mass casualty incidents or disasters in the served region, between other regions and between Tennessee and other states as directed by the State Emergency Operations Center and Tennessee Division of Emergency Medical Services. This includes procuring resources from mutual aid providers, establishing interoperable communications and coordinating staging and deployment of resources on behalf of the State of Tennessee Division of Emergency Medical Services.
For Erlanger Emergency / Disaster Preparedness and Response, the Emergency Communications Specialist is the central point of coordination between Erlanger's emergency managers, Safety Officer, the EHS Command Center and emergency responders. He/She is responsible for coordinating resources for disaster response and recovery, initiating system-wide emergency mass notification alerts, coordinating inbound emergency medical traffic and facilitating interoperable communications between all responders for EHS.
Education:
Required:
Graduate of an accredited Advanced EMT or EMT-Paramedic training program. .
Preferred:
Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certificate preferred
APCO Certified Public Safety Telecommunicator preferred
Associates or Bachelors' Degree
Experience:
Required:
A minimum of two (2) years public safety field experience or two (2) years Emergency Communications center or emergency operations center experience.
Experience must reflect general knowledge in pre-hospital EMS practice and skills or pre-hospital incident command system operations and management;
Knowledge of current trends and new developments, principles and practices of Emergency Communications and pre-hospital medicine, applicable to those areas requiring special education.
Preferred:
Call Center, 911 Center and/or air medical communications experience
Supervisory experience in EMS or other public safety discipline
Experience with computer aided dispatch programs, automatic vehicle location tracking systems, electronic patient care record systems or electronic health record systems.
Experience working in a hospital emergency department or other healthcare outpatient setting
Position Requirement(s): License/Certification/Registration
Required:
Current licensure to practice as an Advanced EMT or EMT-Paramedic in the State of Tennessee. Current BLS certification and maintained going forward. Certified Flight Communicator certification (within 1 yr of employment)FEMA ICS Courses: ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700, ICS-800 level courses (within 60 days of employment) . Valid Driver's License.
Preferred:
Nationally Registered AEMT or EMT-P
ITLS or PHTLS
PALS or PEPP and ACLS
FEMA ICS Courses: ICS-300, ICS-400
FEMA Communications Unit Leader (COML) Certification
Department Position Summary:
The Emergency Communications Specialist:
Must have a working knowledge and operational understanding of guidelines and procedures for coordinating both local and regional emergency medical service (air and ground) responses and radio traffic.
Must accurately develop flight and communications plans for air medical transport:
Accurately utilize mapping resources to locate remote locations for safe rotor wing aircraft landing zones
Create computer-aided dispatch records that accurately reflect the pickup and destination of patients for scene flights and hospital transfers
Effectively implement an interoperable communications plan for each flight
Must accurately maintain federal, state, local, Med-Trans and EHS records and documentation:
FAR Part 135 Aircraft Flight Following Reports
Loaded Mileage, physician information and demographics data necessary for accurate patient billing
Accurately recording time-stamped transactions throughout the patient acceptance and transport
Functions as the FAR Part 135 Operator's designated Flight
Follower on all air medical missions
Effectively tracks airborne aircraft using automated tracking services as available as well as manual position reporting as designed by the Part 135 operations specifications
Maintains appropriate documentation for identification of persons on board the aircraft for flights operating under Part 135.
Accurately locates overdue aircraft using mapping and tracking resources
Effectively implements the Post-Accident Incident Plan (PAIP) for conditions appropriate for activation under the Part 135 operator specifications
Maintains safe and effective operations of the Erlanger Heliport (0TN8):
Effectively coordinating take-off and landing information for aircraft arriving and departing from the 0TN8 heliport
Coordinating communications and maintaining situational awareness of air medical aircraft inbound and outbound from the Memorial Hospital helipad (TN03) and Parkridge helipad.
Establish and maintain communications with local law enforcement, government and private operators of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or drones; Tracking authorized operators (via NOTAM) as well as any reported unauthorized use of UAS within the Class C airspace for Chattanooga (KCHA) that would cause risk to air medical aircraft arriving or departing in the area of Erlanger's heliport or other hospital helipads.
Must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide radio and telecommunications assistance, appropriate to the ages of the patients transported by the by ground and air medical services in the region. This knowledge will include:
The principles of human growth and development, which will allow the Emergency Communications Specialist to assess and interpret data about the patient.
Utilization of assessment data to provide age specific services as described in the Tennessee Trauma Destination Guidelines.
Effective activation of the appropriate specialty care team(s) of the receiving hospital (Adult or Pediatric Trauma Team, Stroke Team, STEMI/Cath Lab, etc.)
Functions as a liaison between EMS and hospital emergency departments for gathering and/or routing information necessary for continuity of patient care during transport. This includes:
Routing of EMS field reports to the appropriate receiving facility via public safety radio systems, telephone systems or other technological means
Receiving, coordinating, and completing Regional Medical Communications (MedComm) related records for quality assurance and quality of care
Following written guidelines and protocols
Facilitating the communications between medical control physicians and pre-hospital providers when requested and insuring the continuum of care through to the receiving facility
Functions as a liaison for the Tennessee Department of Health, Division of Emergency Medical Services:
As needed for facilitating EMS response to Mass Casualty Incidents, disaster assistance and mutual aid requests
Provides incident updates to the regional EMS Consultant, State Emergency Operations Center and State EMS Director
Provides coordination point for State EMS and Regional Hospital Coordinators in response to disasters or mass casualty incidents and large-scale planned events
Establishes, coordinates and maintains communications for LIFE FORCE Event Medicine and Special Operations Team deployments and facilitates effective communications among and between teams, liaisons and physicians:
Event Medical Teams and Ambulances responding to and assigned to public events in the region
Sports Medicine Clinicians
Tactical (SWAT) Medical Teams
Fire Mutual Aid Response Teams
Effectively manages high-volume communications during MCI events and/or internal EHS disasters and facilitates communications among and between the EHS Corporate Safety Officer, Emergency Managers, the EHS Command Center, emergency response agencies and regional Emergency Operations Centers.
Works effectively and as a team member with other Communications Specialists, nurses and providers in the Erlanger Regional Operations Center (EROC)
Assists with maintaining cleanliness, efficiency and mission-critical readiness of the EROC.
Subject to be assigned to the field division as needed. Must also meet core competencies of Job Code #T3043 (EMT) or T3810 (EMTP).
May serve as a preceptor for new employees in the EROC, new Flight Crews or others being oriented to the organization.
Must dress according to the departmental and EHS policies regarding uniform and appearance.
Represents LIFE FORCE, EROC and Erlanger while in uniform, as a duty assignment for tours and visitors to the EROC.
Performance of other duties as assigned by the EROC Supervisor or Emergency Communications Manager.
