The Fire Services Department today started a trial run of a new computer system for the provision of post-dispatch advice.

After the dispatching of ambulances, the new system assists personnel of the Fire Services Communications Centre in providing callers with immediate, comprehensive and appropriate advice on more than 30 types of injuries and sicknesses.

Through providing timely and appropriate first-aid advice, the new system enables the callers to stabilise patients' conditions before the arrival of an ambulance crew, and helps reduce the risk of inadvertent mishandling of patients, as well as alleviating the anxiety and distress of both the patients and the callers.

It covers injuries and sicknesses including physical trauma, loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest.

The new computer system will also automatically send the patient information to the responding ambulance or fire appliance to enable the responding crew to make better preparations before arrival. 

The department said the advice is simple and easy to follow.

The protocols incorporated in the computer system were developed by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, with about 3,000 mobilising centres of emergency services in more than 40 regions having adopted similar computer systems and corresponding protocols.

The department said with the aid of the computer system, the dispatch of ambulances and the provision of advice are handled by separate personnel to ensure no delay in rescue.

The Fire Services Communications Centre personnel must receive dedicated training and hold valid Emergency Medical Dispatcher Certificates before they are authorised to provide the service.

The target response time for emergency ambulance service calls will remain unchanged, with 92.5% of calls handled within 12 minutes, the department added.

The new service will launch on October 4.