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Abstract

In this paper we describe findings on Situation Awareness (SA) from a field study on decision making in ambulance control, or Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD). Triangulating the results from observations and Contextual Inquiry interviews of 18 participants, with 13 Critical Decision Methods in-depth interviews, we found, among other things, that EMD work can be classified as routine operations, start of a major incident, and when an incident is established. Higher levels of SA were exhibited by dispatchers for non-routine or major incidents, than for routine events. Senior dispatchers, or allocators, developed a “picture in the head” of the situation, and used that to plan ahead and to evaluate their plans. They were also found to use an information hub strategy to develop and maintain their SA. Using a combined Wickens (2000) and Endsley (1995) framework, we see allocators interleaving their attention and information handling between routine and major incidents.

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Describing Situation Awareness at an Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre

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