News 14 Carolina's Becky Bereiter has more on a big investment that can help save lives.
GREENSBORO -- Moving away from the days of wall maps and pagers, Piedmont Triad Ambulance and Rescue is now fully equipped with wireless laptops and an Onboard Mobile Gateway, giving EMTs quick access to digital maps and GPS directions.
“We jump in the truck, hit dispatch, get our map, and it tells us right where to go," said Wendy Leonard, an EMT Intermediate.
It's a $160,000 investment that Chief Paula Lineberry says is shaving precious minutes off response times.
Piedmont Triad Ambulance and Rescue is now fully equipped with wireless laptops and an Onboard Mobile Gateway.
“It allows us in Guilford County to have the 911 center send the absolute closest ambulance because we want to be there within minutes of anyone's emergency," she said.
The Gateway also comes equipped with extra features to give EMTs an extra edge.
”The computer tells us what kind of call we're responding to, what kind of patient it is, if it's an assault call, if the assailant is still in the area, it also tells us what floor they're on, if there's a key hidden, if we need to go to a back door or the front door, it tells us everything we need to know," added Leonard.
PTAR is a franchise of Guilford County EMS, which also has the same Onboard Mobile Gateway installed in its fleet.