In 2003 the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAED™) created the Severe Respiratory Infection (SRI) Tool in response to the SARS pandemic that year, when multiple cases were reported in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Then in 2009, an electronic version of the tool was developed for ProQA® dispatch software and deployed in multiple dispatch agencies during the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic. This tool was later modified in response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and became what is known today as the Emerging Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS) Tool. The EIDS Tool enables EMS...

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Todd Stout, president and founder of FirstWatch, discusses the role of FirstWatch in COVID-19 surveillance, lessons learned from the Ebola virus outbreak, and the importance of emergency dispatchers increasing their resilience...

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Director Tyrell Morris, Orleans Parish Communication District, discusses the implementation of Protocol 36: Pandemic, Epidemic, and Outbreak (Surveillance and Triage), the role of video triage in COVID-19 calls, and New Orleans's self-quarantine registry...

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Terry Peterson, Deputy Director of Snohomish County 911, discusses his center's implementation of Protocol 36: Pandemic/Epidemic/Outbreak (Surveillance or Triage), how things have changed for emergency dispatchers, and how they're planning for the future...

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