The ambulance revolution saving lives when every second counts

Life-saving technology is helping Queensland ambulances respond to life-or-death emergencies before they even happen. Here’s how it works.

A revolutionary software system is helping Queensland ambulances respond to life-or-death emergencies before they even happen.

The dynamic deployment system, known as LiveMUM, has analysed details of more than one million incidents over the past three years to accurately predict where major emergencies are likely to occur.

The technology, which has already been used in the US and successfully trialled on the Gold Coast this year, has been heralded as a lifesaver, directly credited for saving valuable minutes in critical incidents where every second counts.

It can’t come quickly enough for a resource under increasing pressure to service southeast Queensland’s booming population.

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LiveMUM works by assessing the likelihood of serious incidents in particular locations and then recommends dispatchers send units to the area, rather than have them sitting idle at ambulance stations or hospitals.

It can recommend that extra ambulances should be sent to traffic black spots with a history of accidents during morning peak-hour commutes, or to areas near beaches on busy weekends.

It also factors in statistics from major events such as State of Origin or Schoolies, where drunken revellers are more likely to require medical attention than midweek mornings.

Kristen Holley from QAS at Southport is involved in the trial of the new LiveMUM software system helping ambos predict the future locations of emergencies. Pics Adam Head

Emergency medical dispatcher Kristen Holley said the system could revolutionise the way ambulances are used.

“It might tell us we should have ambulances near Boonah on a Saturday afternoon and you might think: ‘why would we need to do that?’,” she said.

“But there’s a motocross track out there that gets very busy on weekends where riders are likely to get hurt and the nearest ambulance station is 35-40 minutes away, so if we’re already in the area before something happens, the chances of a successful outcome increase greatly.

“The data is also showing us other information and insights, such as where the next ambulance stations should be built.”

In recent weeks, the system recommended a unit relocated from Yarrabilba to the Beenleigh area, placing the ambulance just minutes away from an 89-year-old woman suffering a suspected stroke.

The vital time saved responding to the emergency likely saved her life.

In another case, a unit was relocated from Coolangatta to Burleigh which resulted in a three-minute response time to a 47-year-old who had fallen and had gone into cardiac arrest.

The patient was able to be resuscitated at the scene and was transported to hospital with critical care paramedics on board.

Queensland ambulances can save valuable minutes thanks to the new LiveMUM dispatch system. Picture: Heidi Petith

The Sunday Mail this week visited the Gold Coast communications centre to see the program in action, with LiveMUM recommending a unit be moved to a suburb because there was a 72 per cent chance of an emergency taking place at that particular time.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Warrener said the system was already proving invaluable.

“When every second counts, that can really be the difference,” he said.

Further trials havebeen slated for Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast over the coming months.

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