The manual is recommended in conjunction with attendance at an emergency medical training seminar and completion of a cardiopulmonary resuscitation course. Four basic steps for EMS dispatchers to follow in obtaining information from emergency telephone callers are suggested: (1) determine the address or location of the emergency; (2) obtain from the caller the chief complaint and ascertain whether the caller is with the patient; (3) get a telephone number for callback; and (4) use the Medical Dispatch Priority Reference System to ask key questions, dispatch the appropriate EMS vehicle, give prearrival instructions, obtain additional information from the caller as needed, and alert appropriate non-EMS response agencies of the emergency. At a minimum, dispatchers should obtain certain information about the victim from every caller, such as age, chief complaint, state of consciousness and breathing, and heartbeat. Specific types of information to be obtained by EMS dispatchers are identified for many emergency medical situations such as burns, choking, and diabetic problems and for criminal incidents such as assault, rape, and stabbing and gunshot wounds.