MVAA FAQ

What does Middlebury Ambulance do?
Middlebury Ambulance responds primarily to 911 calls. We perform interhospital transports to Fletcher Allen Heath Care (FAHC) and Rutland Regional Hospital when patients need services that are unavailable at Porter Hospital. We also operate a Heavy Rescue Unit with trained extrication technicians and respond to motor-vehicle accidents, providing both extrication and critical patient care.

Who should I expect to arrive when I call 911 for a medical emergency?
You should expect that two or more members of MVAA respond, trained at various levels ranging from ECA to Paramedic. The nature of the call helps to determine the appropriate staffing, (as a more serious call might require more crew members for assistance). One member of the crew will be designated as the driver. Drivers must maintain CPR certification, complete an intensive driving course, demonstrate familiarity with each ambulance, and complete a specified number of supervised calls before being promoted to full driver status. The other crewmember (or multiple crewmembers) will be in the back of the ambulance with the patient. Their job is to carry out assessment and patient care. These crew members must go through a period as a trainee before being promoted to full attendant.

What happens when I dial 9-1-1?

When you dial 9-1-1 from your home phone, the call is diverted to the regional 9-1-1 dispatch center in Williston, Vermont. Once the call is identified as a medical emergency, relevant information is noted and the call is diverted to the Porter Hospital emergency dispatch line (802) 388-3333 (emergency only). If you call from your cell phone the call is dispatched to the closest regional call center. If you are calling from the MVAA service area, the call from your cell phone will most likely go to the same Williston, Vermont call center. Because you are calling from a cell phone, there is no physcial address tied in with your phone. Therefore, you need to tell the dispatcher immediately what the nature of your call is and what city and state you are calling from.

What happens after Porter Dispatch receives the call?

Porter Dispatch writes down the information from the 9-1-1 Regional Call Center. They then send a series of alert tones over the emergency radio followed by a description of the call. You can hear the emergency tones here.

Volunteers who are on duty must be within five minutes of the station. They can stay at the station or somewhere else close by. If they choose to be in town, they are permitted to have a "red light" and sirens for their car in order to bypass traffic when responding to a call.

What other agencies may be involved in the call?

If the call is outside the town of Middlebury, one of the respective First Response Squads is also dispatched so that medical care can be made available as soon as possible. While enroute to the call, MVAA members communicate with First Responders onscene to appropriately prepare for the needs of the patient. Depending on the nature of the call, the fire department and police may also assist.

What occurs when the ambulance arrives?

If we are the first service to arrive, we will begin initial assessment and initiate patient care. If one of the First Response Squads is already there, MVAA continues patient care and transports the patient to Porter Emergency Department. Enroute to the hospital, the patient is stabilized, vital signs are monitored, medications administered, and appropriate interventions made. During transit, the crew communicates with the Emergency Department to provide relevant information and patient updates. Upon arrival, patient care is transferred to the ED staff. If necessary, patients may then be referred to FAHC or Rutland Regional for further treatment. The call is documented and discussed among the crew for quality improvement purposes and personal reflection. All confidential matters are held with the highest regards. The crew is then back in service ready for when another call comes in.