World’s First Suicide Risk and Ideation Protocol for 1st Party Callers Will Help Manage the Record and Increasing Number of 911 Mental Distress Calls

For Immediate Release: 06/06/2024

Salt Lake City, Utah – In response to the alarming rise in mental health distress calls to 911 – specifically suicide calls – the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAED™) and Priority Dispatch® announce the release of Protocol 41: Caller in Crisis (1^st Party Only). This protocol and its accompanying specialized training are the first and only in the industry to address first-person callers with suicide risk and ideation. Developed in partnership with leading experts in this area, including Dr. James Marshall and the 911 Training Institute, Protocol 41: Caller in Crisis (1st Party Only) is a critical tool that empowers Emergency Dispatchers to handle these difficult calls with confidence. Knowing this protocol and its specific training will create the opportunity for the best possible outcomes. The Protocol’s interrogation process provides crucial information to help ensure that appropriately trained mental health professionals are more often involved in the public safety response and subsequent priority care.

The COVID-19 pandemic and following years have brought unprecedented challenges to individuals’ mental well-being. As anxiety and depression have surged, so too have suicide risk and ideation calls to emergency communication centers everywhere in the world. Compounding this issue has been the impact of these calls on the mental well-being of Emergency Dispatchers themselves and overall agency morale. The interrogation process allows agencies to better respond with the appropriately trained mental health professionals armed and trained in this novel protocol.

Priority Dispatch’s president and former Salt Lake City Fire Department Chief, Brian Dale, expressed the company’s commitment to addressing this issue, stating, “Our agencies have asked for enhancements to training, protocols, and more appropriate response capabilities to better manage the influx of mental health calls. They need focused training and specific tools to help improve outcomes for these callers, and also to help boost confidence and reduce anxiety and distress when handling these calls.”

Dr. Jeff Clawson, Medical Director and co-founder of the IAED, spoke to the development of Protocol 41: Caller in Crisis (1st Party Only), saying, “We have looked to the world’s experts and real data to make sure Emergency Dispatchers are always prepared for these most challenging situations. When presented with a Caller in Crisis, this Protocol and training provides the Emergency Dispatcher with specific calming and control techniques to work through a host of behaviors often presented during the call. In addition, when faced with an imminent suicide threat patient, the Emergency Dispatcher will use specific pre-arrival instructions to reduce the risk of serious injury or death – while making the scene safer for responders.”

Protocol 41: Caller in Crisis (1st Party Only) is the latest of the medical, fire, and police protocols developed by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, and is available for use in communication centers through Priority Dispatch’s software solution, ProQA® Paramount, the logic and inference engine for the Medical Priority Dispatch System™ (MPDS®). Previously, callers with mental distress have been handled on Protocol 25: Psychiatric/Abnormal Behavior/Suicide Attempt, which was recently significantly updated to incorporate the latest research and procedures. Now second- and third-party mental distress callers will still be handled on Protocol 25, with first-person callers presenting suicide risk and ideation handled on Protocol 41: Caller in Crisis (1st Party Only).

About the IAED:

The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch is the standard-setting organization for medical, fire, police, and nurse triage emergency dispatch and response services worldwide and is the leading body of emergency services dispatch experts. Our various Boards and Councils work on behalf of over 69,000 members in 59 countries—and in coordination with other influential public safety organizations—to ensure that the comprehensive system covering all aspects of emergency dispatching is safe, fast, effective, and cutting-edge. IAED protocols are used in more than 4,131 communication centers across the world and have been time-tested across hundreds of millions of calls for medical, fire, police, and nurse triage dispatching. Fin out more at emergencydispatch.org.

About Priority Dispatch:

Priority Dispatch™ is the world leader in providing research-based protocol solutions to emergency call centers in medical, fire, police, and nurse triage disciplines. For over 44 years, EMS and 911 agencies have used the Medical Priority Dispatch System™ (MPDS®), initially with cardsets and now only fully represented in ProQA software. Our solutions have been time-tested in 30 languages across hundreds of millions of calls and serve communities in thousands of agencies in 59 countries. Get to know us at prioritydispatch.net.

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Contact for IAED

Pam Stewart
Senior Director of Operations
800.363.9127 ext. 131
pam.stewart@emergencydispatch.org

Contact for Priority Dispatch

Brian Dale
President
385.236.4561
brian.dale@prioritydispatch.net