The Navigation Puzzle

      You're in the back of your rig with a critical patient. Between the bumps, stress and chaos, you happen to glance out the back window just in time to see the same gas station whiz by for the third time. Your instinct tells you your new partner is lost. What should have been a 10-minute ride to the emergency department has just turned into an extended tour of your service area.

   You try not to yell at the new guy, but it's obvious you're mad. This only makes him even more nervous, and he ends up hitting the curb as he turns the last corner into the hospital parking lot. There are nine hours left in your shift, and you swear you'll never work with a new guy again.

   Anyone who has been in EMS long enough can relate to this. But we must remember what it was like to be the new guy. Everyone gets lost. Navigation is probably the weakest part of any EMS provider's training. Schools rarely cover it. Good luck trying to find anything in a textbook on it. Most training institutions believe navigation training is the responsibility of the company that hires you. This needs to change.

   There are two common beliefs that must be challenged. One is the belief that since every service area is different, why bother teaching navigation? Yes, every service area is different. Yet there are some simple rules that apply to every one. The sooner you understand the basics, the better off you'll be.

   The other is the belief that technology will solve the problem. No, it will not. Machines fail. Software crashes. Batteries die. Do not put all your trust in technology. Your brain is the best piece of technology in the rig. Sure, most EMS systems have AVL and GPS, among other things, but they should be there only to assist you.

   I have a partner, Rick, who is famous for saying with his great southern drawl: "We ain't never not got there yet." Let's keep this in mind, because it's true. Remember, the average time it takes to learn a service area is about 8–12 months for a full-time employee. Hopefully knowing the basics will make it easier and cut the time down. This article is designed to give you 10 crucial "tools" to overcome navigational problems.

1. KNOW WHICH WAY IS NORTH

   You've spent hundreds of hours learning lifesaving skills and memorizing drugs and cardiac algorithms, but do you know which direction is north? Sounds silly, doesn't it? But the absolute first thing you must know is which way is north, south, east and west. It is amazing how many new people will jump into a rig, ready to speed off to the rescue. They look at you eagerly for directions. You tell them to "head west on Main Street." And they drive east. Before you do anything else, know your basic directions.

2. KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY'S NUMBERING SYSTEM

   Every village, town and city has a numbering system. Each one is different, but the key is that there is one. Some address numbers are on a grid system, others follow natural landmarks such as rivers or mountains. If your EMS service doesn't teach you the local numbering system, take a long, hard look at your map books. The numbers of homes usually correspond to the numbers of streets. You can figure it out in a short time. This will give you a major advantage when trying to find any house number. Even if you don't know where the call is, you can at least get close (usually within a quarter mile) if you understand the local numbering system. If all else fails, ask the local mail carrier to come in and teach your staff how the numbering system works.

3. BECOME FAMILIAR WITH LOCAL ROADS AND HIGHWAYS