The women and men of MDA’s emergency dispatch center are used to dealing with horror as it unfolds. The calls they receive often come from people who have just watched their loved ones collapse or get hurt. Time. They are always trying to save time: to shorten response times, to understand quickly what happened, and to get there as fast as possible without wasting time searching for exactly which house or which stretch of road.
MDA develops dedicated technology for these exact purposes, but ultimately relies with pride on its men and women. All are emergency medical professionals, EMTs and paramedics with field experience. The MDA personnel on the other end of the line are trained in a fine balance: being empathetic and patient on one hand, and on the other, understanding exactly what happened and where it occurred in order to dispatch nearby first responders and ambulances, as well as providing life-saving first aid instructions.
MDA dispatchers also know how to handle terrorist attacks and mass-casualty incidents, which have unfortunately been our lot many times in the past. On October 7th, this occurred with exceptional intensity. MDA personnel received thousands of calls from the combat zones, faced the horror on the other end of the line, did everything in their power to save lives with great professionalism, and experienced heartbreaking human moments.
