Norman Ambulances Equipped with GPS

By Amy Lester, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- Ambulances in Norman are now using GPS systems to get to their location faster and more efficiently.

"We used to use an old style map book to figure out where you're going," said Dean Lauderdale of Critical Care Paramedics.

Paramedics can pull up a picture of the house they're going to and a floor plan and the GPS device can inform them when they reach their location.

"At night we don't' have to scramble around looking for house numbers with a spotlight," Lauderdale said. "We're able with the GPS to know that we're sitting right outside somebody's house."

Dispatchers track it all in the communications center. The calls come in and they check their maps, which pinpoint the location of police officers and ambulances.

In a split second, they spot the crew closest to the emergency and send them.

"We're doing what we can to get them help when they need it," said Communications Supervisor Russell Anderson.

The use of GPS came from a student attending the University of Oklahoma.

"I think it's extremely important that we bring our first responders up to the 21st Century technology," said Moshe Gutman of GeoSafe.

Learn more about GeoSafe.

It took a year for the student to develop the software that could make the difference between life and death.

"It warms my heart to see my product out there and every time I drive by an ambulance I love poking into the window...and seeing if they're using it," Gutman said. "It makes me really proud."

Faster service means better odds for everyone in Norman.

"If it's something that time matters, then we'll be able to shave off some of that time and hopefully provide them with a better outcome," Lauderdale said.

The paramedics can also chat with each other over the computers. They'll soon have radar on the maps as well.