The first issue of the Annals of Emergency Dispatch & Response (AEDR) was hot off the press nearly eight years ago (March 2013), and to this day it remains the world’s only peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the science of emergency dispatch. Among the studies and papers published in the inaugural edition, tucked between papers on Emergency Nurse Telephone Triage and Police Protocol Research, was a piece penned by Dr. Jeff Clawson, where he set forth the “Holy Grails” of EMD.
As an introduction to the Holy Grails, Dr. Clawson lauded the “red-letter day” of publishing a journal that invited participation. The AEDR was his long-held vision to publish research that complemented the clinical and on-line observation experience of emergency dispatch. The Academy’s research group encouraged studies from outside the ivory tower offices and, over the years, the AEDR has truly become a joint effort—and a powerful platform—between IAED™ staff and members throughout the world, as well as our operations partners and researchers from academia.
Dr. Clawson’s “Holy Grails,” enigmas to perfect the interrogation and response coding processes at dispatch, will undoubtedly spark your foray into a profession that keeps moving forward. Maybe you have a personal quest to advance emergency dispatch or, perhaps, are equipped with the soul of a researcher that lurks in some of us. Whatever it is that drives your dedication, remember the AEDR is wide open to your curiosity and way of thinking. Dig in, discover, and explore. The protocols are only as good as we make them.
