Denver, CO
Denver Paramedic dispatchers prove to be resourceful during system outages
This summer, a widespread CrowdStrike outage caused a ripple effect across many sectors, including airline travel, banking, retail, and hospital operations.
However, at Denver Health, the impact was minimal thanks to their swift recovery and the resilience of their systems. The hospital’s paramedic dispatchers train for this exact problem by practicing some old-school methods.
At the heart of Denver’s emergency response is the 911 dispatch center, a bustling hub where Denver Health paramedic dispatchers respond to emergency calls.
When the computer systems went down, the dispatchers faced a challenge, but not an impossible one or one they hadn’t seen before. Instead of faltering, they moved to a backup plan that ensured no call for help went unanswered.
So far this year, Denver Health paramedic dispatchers have responded to 94,000 calls. Lt. Josh DeBell says his team is already on track to break last year’s record of 137,000 calls.
“A few weeks ago, in July… it was our busiest call day on record, I believe, and we ran 500 calls in a 24-hour period,” DeBell said.
According to DeBell, a typical day involves about 50 ambulances from start to finish for 24 hours. This is why it is essential for Denver paramedic dispatchers to have a backup system in case of a computer system failure.
“When our systems are down, you should not notice a difference,” DeBell said.
Instead of relying on technology, the dispatchers use a piece of paper, magnets, and a map.
“If you want to raise the blood pressure in the room just a little bit, just say ‘magnet board,’ just set it out,” DeBell said.
When technology failed, dispatchers used a magnetic map to track ambulance locations throughout the city. Calls were managed through paper intake forms, and runners delivered these forms to agencies such as emergency medical services.
“It has all of the post marks, and we also have magnets that correspond to different ambulances in the system,” DeBell said.
It takes dispatchers about two minutes to set up, demonstrating the preparedness and adaptability of the team.
“Our goal is to mirror what the system is actually doing on this magnet board; the dispatchers are highly trained in this and in geography,” DeBell said.
Each emergency service in Denver—police, fire, and medical—has its own protocol for handling downtime. While the dispatchers at Denver Health rely on paper forms and magnetic maps, police and fire departments have their own procedures that serve their specific needs and responsibilities.
“This is essential because this does happen, whether it’s planned or unplanned. We practice this very regularly,” DeBell said.
September is National Preparedness Month.
DENVER (KDVR) – Denver and the Plains will see extra clouds Thursday with isolated storm out east and warm highs along the Front Range.
Weather today: Partly cloudy and warm
Clouds kept temperatures mild this morning and pockets of sunshine through the afternoon help us warm to the middle 80s.
We will be very close to tying a daily record high, but a light northerly breeze should stop us from hitting 87. The Eastern Plains can also see some isolated storms in the afternoon. There are also some Red Flag Warnings in the state, winds will be at 10-20 mph with gusts to 40 mph, avoid any burning or open flames in these areas.
Weather tonight: Lingering clouds
Partly cloudy skies through the day will stick with us tonight. Overnight lows will dip into the low 50s with a lighter wind.
Looking ahead: Cooler weekend with shower chances
Friday rounds out the workweek with partly to mainly sunny skies and comfy highs in the lower 80s. Saturday looks comfy as well with partly cloudy skies, highs in the upper 70s and afternoon storm chances. Sundayis still mild as highs hit the middle 70s, but clouds increase through the day with showers and storms in the evening hours. That rain can linger overnight and into Monday.
Monday has showers through the day and maybe a few flakes in the high country. Highs on Monday will be in the lower 60s with a breeze and cloudy skies. Shower chances linger into Tuesday with below average highs in the lower 60s with cloudy skies. Wednesday has smaller storm chances and a bit more sunshine as seasonal highs make it to the lower 70s.
DENVER (KDVR) — Two Denver police vehicles were hit by separate drivers during a traffic stop last week, according to a social media post from the Denver Police Department.
On May 7, officers responded to a crash on northbound Interstate 25 near the exit for Alameda Avenue.
The officers were parked with their emergency lights on to direct the traffic away from the scene of the crash. Despite the lights being on, two separate vehicles crashed into the officers’ vehicles.
One driver caused minor damage to a Denver police vehicle and was cited for careless driving. The second driver caused extensive damage to a police vehicle and was cited for careless driving, as well as arrested for allegedly driving under the influence during the crash.
Officers were in their vehicles during the incident, with one uninjured and the other taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
“Traffic safety is a shared responsibility! If you come upon flashing lights, emergency vehicles, tow trucks, or disabled vehicles while driving, move over at least one lane or slow down if it’s not safe to move over. And don’t drive under the influence,” said the department in the post.
Denver’s outdoor warning sirens will sound for three minutes on Wednesday morning as officials test the city’s emergency systems.
All 86 outdoor sirens are scheduled to go off at 11 a.m., and at the same time the wireless emergency alert system will send a test text message to all mobile phones in Denver.
People in neighboring counties may also receive the emergency alert message, the Denver Office of Emergency Management said in a statement.
“Speed and clarity are critical in an emergency,” Executive Director Matthew Mueller said in a statement. “This test helps ensure Denver can deliver alerts across multiple platforms, so people know what to do right away.”
Denver officials have mistakenly sent emergency alerts about isolated police activity to the entire city twice in recent months — once in January when a person was barricaded near the University of Denver and once in April when two armed robbery suspects ran into a nearby home in Ruby Hill.
Denver emergency response officials may start using the outdoor sirens more often, including for destructive thunderstorms or flash flooding, instead of just for tornado warnings, city leaders said in a news release.
While Denverites don’t need to take any action during the test on Wednesday, the sirens are usually a sign to seek shelter indoors immediately and check for updates from the city and local news outlets, according to Denver officials.
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