Protocol 41: Make a Difference With a 911 Solution for Suicidal Callers

If you work in an Emergency Communication Center in the US, it’s likely you’ve felt the impact of the suicide epidemic.

The CDC considers suicide a leading cause of death in America—and the data suggests that the issue isn’t isolated to any one area of the nation, with rates rising in both urban and rural communities. Suicide rates increased approximately 36% between 2000 and 2021. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, rates had been in decline over two years, but are currently nearing all-time highs.

Over 48,000 people died of suicide in 2021, and over 12 million adults had serious thoughts surrounding suicide. That so many people are suffering from suicidal ideation speaks to a need to address it before things get worse. When people find themselves in a mental health crisis, where do they turn?

The Trouble with Current Solutions

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a ready solution for those struggling with suicide ideation or who currently find themselves in crisis. Since 2005, the 988 Lifeline has taken over 23 million calls. It’s a great resource for those who know to use it.

Unfortunately, many don’t.

The 988 Lifeline’s biggest problem is one of obscurity—not enough people know about it. A survey released by the Pew Charitable Trusts suggest that as few as 13% of adults in the US know about the 988 Lifeline. Furthermore, seven in ten of those surveyed said they were somewhat likely or very likely to make use of the 988 Lifeline now that they knew it existed. 

People will use what they know, and in a crisis, they know 911.

A Need in the Emergency Dispatch Community

Research conducted in 2021 suggests that many Emergency Communications Centers in the US lack the proper training to handle behavioral and mental health crisis calls appropriately. This data matches what we at Priority Dispatch Corp. and the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch have noticed as a gap in current Emergency Dispatch Solutions. 

Solutions created for distressed callers have previously been focused on another party calling in behalf of the caller experiencing a severe mental or behavioral health episode. These solutions lacked the language, understanding, and training necessary to empower Emergency Dispatchers to connect with and de-escalate individuals at imminent risk of self-harm. First-party callers in crises need solutions that cater to their specific needs and mental state.

A First-Party Solution for Mental Health Crises

The IAED partnered with the 911 Training Institute and gathered a team of experts that spent over seven years researching and refining a structured system for dispatching severe mental health calls that focuses on the well-being of the caller. Protocol 41: Caller in Crisis (1^st Party Only) leverages the expertise and research of that team to educate and empower Emergency Mental Health Dispatchers to better connect with callers at imminent risk of suicide and de-escalate high-risk situations while the appropriate response for the situation is dispatched.

Protocol 41 supports and enables locally determined alternate responses and guides Emergency Dispatchers through getting callers separated from their means of suicide, de-escalating and engaging with the caller through its Mental States Menu, and keeping the caller on the line until help can arrive on the scene.

Protocol 41 is a medical protocol currently only available in MPDS v14.1.219 and ProQA v5.1.1.50 or later. All EMDs are required to attend a remote and self-paced four-module training before using Protocol 41. The training costs $99 a person and counts toward Continued Dispatch Education. There is no additional cost associated with the activation of Protocol 41’s license. Click here to download a step-by-step guide on how to activate Protocol 41: Caller in Crisis (1^st Party Only).

To learn more about Protocol 41: Caller in Crisis (1^st Party Only) and how it can help your community, visit us at https://www.prioritydispatch.net/caller-in-crisis.