Israel`s National EMS Group to Develop New Fire Dispatch System

PRESS RELEASE

After evaluating the offerings of international technology firms, Kaba’ut VeHatzala, the Israel National Firefighting and Rescue Authority, ultimately chose Magen David Adom, Israel’s national EMS service, to develop its new dispatch system.

“Having worked closely with Magen David Adom for years, we’re familiar and have long admired their dispatch system and related technologies,” said Lt. General Dedi Simchi, commissioner of Israel Fire and Rescue.

“Because MDA had the capacity to develop their network in-house, it’s designed to meet the unique EMS needs of Israel and offers full integration among all its systems,” he said. “We’re looking forward to having a similarly customizable and integrated system for Israel’s fire authority.”

Magen David Adom has long been familiar with mass-casualty response because of its experience coping with repeated terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada. In recent years, however, it’s also developed its EMS technology, taking nearly all of its technology development in-house in 2006 and investing in programming talent to build systems that better fit its needs.

In the intervening decade, MDA developed systems with capabilities not available anywhere else, including instant geolocation of cell-phone callers, phone apps that enable consumers to pre-load their medical history should they need to call an ambulance, and the ability for consumers to show ambulance dispatchers live video feeds of an emergency scene.

In addition, by building all its systems in-house from the ground up, as opposed to purchasing separate systems from a number of third-party developers, Magen David Adom has been able to ensure they’re fully integrated with one another.

“As a result of developing every system ourselves, we’ve ensured that all of them work seamlessly together,” said Ido Rosenblat, Magen David Adom’s chief information officer. “And that’s true whether it’s the GPS system that tracks and routes our vehicles during emergencies, our computer-assisted dispatch system, the PBX system that routes our phone calls, our managements tools, or even the software that runs on the tablets our paramedics and EMTs use in the ambulances.

“We didn’t design them as separate standalone systems,” he added, “but as one system with multiple functions, ensuring that everything is fully integrated.”

While emergency call centers in the United States have long planned on implementing what’s known as Next Generation 911, most of those capabilities—including the ability to text for help, technology that enables callers to send live video feeds of an emergency, or automatic notifications sent by cars involved in accidents—has long been a feature of MDA’s system.

More recently, MDA has licensed its technology to Jewish organizations around the world as well as to the Philippine Red Cross, which since 2018 has used MDA’s dispatch technology for its newly formed national ambulance service.

“From the very beginning of our decision to develop our own technology, the emphasis has been on designing systems that meet the organization’s needs, rather than compelling the organization to conform to the limitations of the technology,” said Rosenblat.

“Our approach in what we design for the Israel National Firefighting and Rescue Authority will be first and foremost about meeting their needs and providing them with the best tools to ensure the safety of firefighters and the Israeli public,” he said. “And, as we’ve done with our own system, we will continue to add new features to continually improve it and provide even greater functionality.”

Because both rescue services will eventually be on systems running on the same platform, Rosenblat said, they’ll also be able to design systems that integrate between the two organizations for when emergencies require responses from both the fire and EMS services.

“The possibilities for technological integration between the two organizations would be a huge benefit to the public,” he said.

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