American TriTech announces the installation of its advanced emergency medical services computer-aided dispatch system in the the United Kingdom.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 2, 1996--American TriTech, the leading developer of computer-aided dispatch systems for the emergency medical services (EMS) industry, Tuesday announced the installation of its VisiCAD system at Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Stafford, United Kingdom, a 160 unit ambulance provider that services over 1,000 square miles with a population of 1.5 million people.

The announcement of the Windows NT-based system marks the first successful implementation of a computer-aided dispatch system with integrated System Status Management (SSM) of its kind in the United Kingdom. The system's capabilities will be demonstrated for local media and health service agencies today at Staffordshire's headquarters, 70 Stone Road, Stafford, U.K.

"We are committed to bringing mission-critical communications tools to international markets, helping EMS providers around the world save more lives," said Christopher Maloney, director of business development for TriTech. "This will be the first of many successful international installations."

In a separate announcement Tuesday, the United Kingdom secretary of state is expected to release new national figures comparing the performance of all ambulance services in their delivery of emergency care to their communities. Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust is expected to be a top performer, based on the installation of the VisiCAD system.

Prior to the purchase and installation of VisiCAD, Staffordshire operated the MIS ALERT computer-aided dispatch system, but the UNIX-based system could not be easily adapted to operate to SSM principles, did not produce instant reports, and lacked a graphical interface. The company soon realized that they could not improve the performance or cost effectiveness of their emergency ambulance services without a major enhancement of their command and control and information systems.

"VisiCAD was the only system that met the U.K.'s strict specifications, gave us the ability to easily produce graphical management reports, and operated to SSM principles," said Roger Thayne, O.B.E., chief executive, Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

VisiCAD is the industry's first Windows-based EMS computer-aided dispatch system with integrated mapping. VisiCAD incorporates automatic vehicle location, high-resolution integrated mapping functionality, comprehensive graphical reports, and an emergency medical triage system. VisiCAD has quickly been named the system of choice by numerous private ambulance providers and is quickly gaining acceptance by public safety agencies that are replacing their existing mini or mainframe computer system with the personal computer-based VisiCAD system.

"Since the installation of VisiCAD, we have been able to improve patient care, streamline operations, and improve our response times by 300 percent," continued Thayne. "Eighty percent of our calls are now responded to within eight minutes, and we are confident of achieving 90 percent in eight minutes by the end of 1997."

Additional functionality integrated into the VisiCAD system for Staffordshire Ambulance includes:

- ProQA - A medical triage system by Medical Priority Consultants,

Salt Lake City. Through a series of questions, the call-taker is

able to recommend appropriate life-saving treatment before the

ambulance arrives.

- DataTrak - An automatic vehicle location tool that allows the

dispatcher to see the exact positions of vehicles at all times,

helping to minimize response times, and optimize the position of

vehicles.

- Alphanumeric paging - Automatically pages the vehicle, providing

critical call information, and reducing errors.

- Mobile status terminals - Terminals in ambulance units provide

operators with the ability to simply punch a button and time stamp 

each event, providing more accurate response time tracking,

eliminating the need to manually record times.

- Mapping system - An address system and mapping database by

Ordnance Survey, Southhampton, U.K., that enables vehicles to

quickly find even the most geographically remote locations.

Since 1987, TriTech has successfully sold its EMS computer-aided dispatch system to private and public ambulance carriers, including some of the largest private providers in the United States. VisiCAD is currently installed in 45 EMS sites in the United States, England and Canada.

TriTech provides the same high level of service for its international customers including 24 X 7 live customer support by a staff of trained dispatchers. The VisiCAD system can be easily adapted to the needs of local markets.

With headquarters in San Diego, TriTech develops, markets, and implements the most advanced computer software technology in the emergency medical services (EMS) industry that enables EMS providers to improve patient care, increase productivity, and streamline operations. The company's primary product, VisiCAD, is a revolutionary graphical computer-aided dispatch system engineered to meet the demanding requirements of advanced deployment systems.

NOTE: VisiCAD is a trademark of American TriTech.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective

owners.

CONTACT: American TriTech

Chris Maloney, 619/453-7000

or

McQUERTERGROUP

Connie Roloff, 619/450-0030