Sun City Center Emergency Squad and Information Technology
You probably don’t think of computers, databases, programs and geeks when you think of providing emergency services but Information Technology (IT) cannot be separated from today's emergency services. IT, like plumbing, is something you take for granted and don’t think of it as long as it works. If something goes wrong -- the computer fails, the network is down, the data is entered incorrectly, the operator screws up -- most of us go into a tail spin. We threaten to get away from technology and back to a place where people had control of their destiny.
If it was only that simple! These days there are things that can only be done electronically. The Squad is in the position of having to adopt technology, securing it in accordance with federal law (HIPAA), using it in patient care situations, and supporting it with volunteers.
Reliance on technology has evolved over a relatively short period of time. Back in the 1990s, technology was viewed as a great way to leverage resources and improve efficiency. This leveraging was so successful that many businesses, and people, who didn’t adopt and embrace technology found their choices limited. Many who adopted but not embraced technology are still struggling.
The SCC-EMS currently has 56 network-connected devices including servers, routers, printers, and over 50 computers. Many of our computers (11 Panasonic Toughbooks, 3 dedicated desktops, and several desktops) are dedicated to supporting the Emergency Medical Services Tracking and Reporting System (EMSTARS). We have two Windows servers and are moving to consolidate to one. We have transitioned our email, our scheduler system, and most of our office needs to the Google Apps Server. The Google Apps Server also provides us document services, website abilities, and a host of technology tools. Apollo Beach Internet also supports our technology needs with some donations of web hosting services for things not supported by Google.
Here are some of the services provided and supported by the SCC-EMS IT Team:
- External website (for community outreach and communication)
- Internal website (for internal communication and coordination)
- Secured Key locator database (for key locator information with emergency calls)
- CallerID application (our home-grown caller ID system which provides us more information than just the caller's address)
- Voice recorder (radio and telephone recording for audit)
- Telephony (cellphones, telephones and data communications)
- Physical security (surveillance cameras)
- External network management (ISP and external services)
- Internal network management (LAN maintenance)
- Training (classes, computer based, web based, consulting)
- Security & Privacy (procedures, policies and technology)
- Disaster recovery (backup and recovery planning)
- Systems and workstation management (hardware and software maintenance)
- EMSTARS (toughbook and workstation system and software maintenance)
- Computer hardware (support, maintenance, replacement)
- Software applications: Quickbooks, Microsoft Office Suite, Email
- Google Apps Services administration and support
- Personnel database (information on volunteers)
This may not seem like a lot but there are many skills required to support these services. For example, training may require skills in various Microsoft Office applications, web site creation, Google Apps use, or database design. Any one of these can be broken down further (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases, macro coding, web based training, etc). We need hardware people to support the computers, routers, switches and related equipment that require maintenance and support. We need systems people to administer accounts and manage permissions on both our internal network as well as our Google Applications Service. We need engineers to help with our network topology, internal and external to help us ensure reliable communications with the outside world. We need telephone service engineers to help us troubleshoot and maintain our complex phone needs. We need radio service engineers to help us with our data and voice radio requirements.
Volunteers need more then technical skills. All tasks are interrelated and require communications skills (written and oral). Volunteers should be able to think critically and logically, willing to work as part of a team, possess an interest in learning new things, and most of all an interest in helping others.
If you are getting the impression that there are a lot of skills required, you are right. To manage and coordinate the efforts of the volunteers we also need an experienced IT manager capable of working with the Squad's technical and administrative staff.
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