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.