Glacier County EMS using hi-tech GPS Street Pilot to respond faster.

For those of you who have put your GPS – global positioning system – to the test a time or two, you know its value. Instead of driving around aimlessly trying to find your destination, you simply ask your GPS unit for directions and “voila,” you’re there.

Imagine an ambulance or fire crew having that kind of technology to assist them in responding to their emergency calls. If they knew exactly where to go and how to get there, lives and property could be saved.

When Glacier County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was approached about the possibility of using a GPS in their ambulances, James Laidlaw, EMS Chief, jumped at the chance. “We had been kind of messing around with GPS for about four years. It was really preliminary stuff, nothing great or fantastic,” said Laidlaw.

Then along came Glacier Electric with a huge database they had created listing every Glacier Electric customer and how to locate them. They were using the database for multiple reasons, one of which was to locate electric meters, linked to their customers.

By Linda Bruch for the Cut Bank Pioneer Press

Full Story: http://www.goldentrianglenews.com/articles/2006/07/13/cut_bank_pioneer_press/news/news1.txt