Guilford County EMS, with nearly 40 vehicles, provides paramedic coverage to 500,000 people who live and work in the 657 square miles of Guilford County, including the cities of Greensboro and High Point. In Motion's technology allows GCEMS to track vehicles throughout the county's rural, urban and suburban areas, and diagnose potential equipment problems before they happen.
The Gateway also enables electronic information in the ambulance to be communicated seamlessly and reliably to an operations center or hospital. GCEMS uses the Gateway to transmit patient data from laptops, cardiac monitors and other devices at the incident scene and while in transit.
"EMS organizations are always looking for faster, more reliable mobile communication solutions to support their applications," said In Motion Technology CEO Kirk Moir. "We are pleased to provide this next generation network that is helping Guilford County EMS improve patient care."
The In Motion onBoard Mobile Gateway is a cognitive wireless system that turns vehicles into secure local area networks that sense and select the best available wireless network, enabling emergency medical technicians to access and disseminate information from the field. The onBoard Mobility Manager monitors the vehicle location and health of the mobile network, helping public safety organizations improve response times.
"We have seen process improvements tied to the consistent network access provided by the Mobile Gateway, and have found that consolidating and sending data with this technology is saving GCEMS about $24,000 each year," said Boyers. "Most importantly, In Motion Technology's gateway enables us to keep more vehicles in service, on the road and saving lives."
Guilford County EMS is the paramedic level provider of pre-hospital services to the entire population of Guilford County. County paramedic transport units are easily recognizable by their yellow and white paint scheme. All County EMS units are staffed by at least one paramedic. Support units are generally painted white with yellow striping to identify their role on the scene of an emergency. Support units include "Medic" units that are staffed with one or two personnel that respond to emergencies to assess and treat patients while transport units are enroute. Disaster and rehabilitation units are also considered support units. Guilford County EMS employs approximately 250 personnel.