1st Communications Center in Birmingham to Earn Accreditation

Birmingham, Ala. – Lifeguard Ambulance Service is the first communications center in Birmingham to receive the distinguished recognition by the Board of Accreditation of the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED).

Following the extensive application and review process, Lifeguard’s communications center, LifeComm, was approved as an Emergency Medical Dispatch Center of Excellence. LifeComm earned the honor of becoming the 223rd Emergency Medical Dispatch Accredited Center in the world.

The IAED is a non-profit, standard-setting organization promoting safe and effective emergency dispatch services world-wide. Comprised of four allied academies for medical, fire, police and emergency communication/nurse system dispatching, the IAED supports first-responder related research, unified protocol application and legislation for emergency call center regulation. IAED focuses on strengthening the emergency dispatch community through education, certification and accreditation. An Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) is the highest distinction in 9-1-1 emergency communication services.

“At Lifeguard, we continually strive to deliver comfortable, comprehensive care to our patients, while providing exceptional customer service,” stated Brett Jovanovich, President of Lifeguard Ambulance Service. “With that goal in mind, we pursued the voluntary ACE accreditation to further demonstrate our commitment to providing the highest quality service to our patients and customers.”

Lifeguard Ambulance Service achieved accreditation for demonstrating compliance to the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) and the associated “20 Points of Excellence.” The “20 Points of
Excellence” encompass international practice standards of excellence for emergency medical dispatch (EMD). This level of operational effectiveness addresses system oversight, quality improvement programs and individual certification of all emergency call-takers. Accreditation is a voluntary accomplishment that demonstrates an unprecedented dedication to public safety from not only each
individual within the communications center, but also the administration.

Pennie Jo Lambert, LifeComm Communications Manager, commented, “We are very proud of our communications team and our center. Being one of three accredited centers in Alabama and the first in Birmingham is a great accomplishment, and we are elated to share this internationally recognized accomplishment with our customers, patients and communities we are honored to serve.”

In addition to being featured in the next issue of The Journal of Emergency Dispatch, Lifeguard Ambulance Service will be recognized on The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch’s website (http://www.emergencydispatch.org/AccredCurrentAces).


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Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75
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