On April 12, 2006, the Lexington Police department received a grant award from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in the amount of $26,600. The grant provides public safety dispatchers, who manage all police, fire and medical calls, with a state of the art, computerized Emergency Medical Dispatch capability.
Dispatchers are the first critical link in a system of response, by providing those closest to the victim, first aid instructions to administer, while the ambulance is on the way.
The grant also includes software, and additional training, particularly as it relates to stroke victims. Lexington was one of seven communities across the state chosen to implement the new programs and software. Emergency Medical Dispatching is an integral component of our emergency service response in Lexington, and we welcome this funding which will enhance this very important program.