Sen. Turner Advances Measure To Improve Training For Emergency Medical Dispatchers
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Doris Turner passed a measure through committee to mandate training for emergency medical dispatchers on how to provide CPR instructions to someone experiencing cardiac arrest. “We are losing too many of our friends and family to heart disease,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “Ensuring that our emergency dispatchers are well-equipped to handle these situations will save lives.” Senate Bill 1295 would mandate all 9-1-1 telecommunicators to be trained in telecommunicator-CPR and would require emergency medical dispatchers to be trained in T-CPR. T-CPR is when a dispatcher provides over-the-phone CPR instructions to someone experiencing cardiac arrest. This process is a key part of the chain of survival for cardiac arrest. Senate Bill 1295 is an initiative of the American Heart Association with backing from the Illinois State Police. The trainings would be put on by the Office of the Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator,