Mapping out street directions

[AprilPretty07]

[/font:2274fb8718] Hi I am new to this Chat room and am very to get the opinion of other fellow ems employees. My question is which I still do not understand why when dispatchers give directions, and we are not familiar with the area, we alot of times have to map out the area in distress on our own?

[JPINFV]

Simple, just because you have a list of directions, especially if given over the air [turn right at x, turn left at y, etc), you probably won't get any distances. This can be a problem, especially if long distances are involved between turns, because you won't know how soon the next turn is nor will you know if you passed it. Mapping yourself will also let you look to see if there is a closer hospital or better route.

Thomas Guides for the win!

[AnthonyM83]

I would imagine mapping in an rural setting shouldn't be too hard (with accurate maps) because you have time between each turn.

In our urban setting, mapping skills are of high importance. Along with a written and skills test, we get a map test. On each call we get: FD district (gives us a direction to start), address, two cross streets, and a Thomas Guide map grid.

I'd say you should have a general direction of travel out the driveway within 3 seconds, a general road to take within 5-10, and fully mapped out in 30 . . . exceptions do apply like when going across several mapbook pages or super tiny spaghetti streets.

My general process is:

*Know your map pages, so you don't have to find yourself on it each time. You can go directly to where you are and to the map grid.

*Start your driver in the direction of the map grid.

*Locate street and cross street.

*See how street or a cross street connects to a main road.

*Use the shortest L-shape to get to that main road.

Be able to clear intersections for your partner (if you do guys do that).

[Chief1C]

We have no street addresses here, rural homes only have a mail box number. If they have one at all, most ppl use the Post Office boxes.

We use a Zone-House Number mapping system.

My community is called "Expanded Zone 37-Alpha". If a home has the number of 1234; the dispatcher tells us "HELP Number 37A-1234". So, we get out the map book, turn to zone 37A, and look up house number 1234.. and then follow the map to that location. The only way to get lost, is if the home owner doesn't know their number. Frequent advertisements and mailings help to avoid that. This way, they don't even have to know what road, township or county their in, and some of the weekender's don't know that stuff even when not faced w/ an emergency. When someone calls 9-1-1, their help number that corresponds w/ their phone number comes up on the screen. So the caller, doesn't even have to know their number.

[Just Plain Ruff]

One thing you might want to try is to go and drive around your coverage area. You can learn a lot just driving around.

Take some addresses from previous calls and try to find them.

[MedicNorth]

Welcome, April

First off, it never hurts to become really familiar with your area, in case regular routes are unavailable.

We just purchased GPS units with map downloads. We enter the address, and it creates a map for us, showing shortest routes, distances, and will even give alternate routes if a turn is missed. These work in both urban and rural settings, as well, depending on the map programs installed.

Up til now, we have simply been responsible for being able to find our way to any specific location in our (VERY large) service area. This will make it easier, but I doubt it will replace being familiar with the easiest way to get to a patient or an address.

[AnthonyM83]

One thing you might want to try is to go and drive around your coverage area. You can learn a lot just driving around.

Take some addresses from previous calls and try to find them.

Very good idea. We do these with our trainees. They should be able to map us anywhere, even if it's at the other end of our coverage area 60 miles away (not that they'd ever have to make that run, we pray).

[certguy]

Hi April ,

I agree with Ruff , there's no substitute for simply getting out and driving your area . Where I worked in San Diego the Thomas Bros. maps we used were notorious for showing through streets that actually deadended with a canyon and the street taking off on the other side . We also had housing areas that were total mazes , especially at night . Knowledge of the area can save you a whole lot of time . Another trick I used to teach my partners was when you're approaching a turn , note the street name before the turn . Tell your partner what it is in case you miss it and call it out when it comes up . This gives the driver a heads up and time to prepare . I was once partnered with the world's worst map reader . She wouldn't tell me about the turns till I was in the intersection . Nothing more annoying when running code 3 than " You have a right turn ----- THERE ! " She drove me nuts till I taught her this . Also , I don't know what size area you work in , but if it's small , the FD I was in required us to pass a map test prior to hitting the field . We were given a normal map to study , then a blank one for the test that we had to fill in the streets on . This may help too .

Craig :-k

[Scaramedic]

I've been told that map makers purposely make mistakes on streets. This is the way they can prove if someone is copying their maps and marketing them as their own. Makes sense to me. If it's true no map is perfect, nor is any mapping software.

[AnthonyM83]

Yup, the map is not the territory. Never will be...otherwise it wouldn't be a map, it'd be the territory

Anyway, I also suggest writing notes in blue (so it stands out) where streets don't actually connect. Even if it shows they don't connect, in the dark, running code, with urgency, you might make a mistake and lock yourself in somewhere. This can cost you several minutes on canyon roads where you can't make a u-turn. In small areas, a circle if street goes through, an x if it doesn't.

I also mark the different FD stations, so I can start heading toward them when the call for each comes out. Hospitals are circled with an arrow where the ambulance entrance is (even if you've never been to it, your partners can tell you). Light blue highlighter lets you write on your map without covering any street names up.