IAED EPD study plan
IAED EPD · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Medical dispatch & Fire dispatch
Map the EPD domain blueprint to a personal study calendar, allocating the two heaviest domains the most weekly hours
Define the medical dispatch call flow from call intake through determinant selection and unit assignment, writing each step in your own words
Define the fire dispatch call flow from call intake through incident type selection and resource assignment, writing each step in your own words
Build a one-page glossary of core EPD terminology shared by medical and fire dispatch (determinant, response mode, incident type, unit recommendation)
Your checkpoint
A one-page dispatch flow diagram for both medical and fire calls with your own annotations at each step
Medical dispatch
Classify the major medical complaint categories and state the key questions that distinguish high-acuity from low-acuity presentations
Practice selecting appropriate determinant levels for at least 20 written medical scenarios and justify each choice
Identify the red-flag symptoms that trigger upgraded response modes in medical calls
Compare pre-arrival instruction categories for common medical emergencies and note when instructions must wait for dispatch completion
Your checkpoint
A scored log of 20 medical scenarios with your determinant choice, rationale, and corrections noted
Fire dispatch
Classify fire incident types (structure, vehicle, wildland, hazardous materials) and the resource implications of each
Practice assigning apparatus and response levels to at least 20 written fire scenarios and justify each assignment
Identify the safety-critical questions a fire dispatcher must ask before releasing units (occupancy, entrapment, exposures, hazardous materials)
Outline how mutual aid and multi-agency coordination requests are handled in the dispatch workflow
Your checkpoint
A scored log of 20 fire scenarios with your incident type, resource assignment, rationale, and corrections noted
Police dispatch
Classify police call types by urgency and state which require immediate dispatch versus queued response
Practice prioritizing at least 20 written police scenarios and justify each priority decision
Identify the officer-safety information a police dispatcher must relay before units arrive (weapons, threats, subject description, location hazards)
Describe how call handling differs for in-progress crimes, cold reports, and non-emergency service requests
Your checkpoint
A scored log of 20 police scenarios with priority level, relayed safety information, and corrections noted
Nurse triage
Define the nurse triage call flow from symptom intake through disposition recommendation
Classify symptom presentations by urgency level and state the decision criteria that separate emergency, urgent, and self-care dispositions
Practice assigning triage dispositions to at least 20 written nurse triage scenarios and justify each disposition
Identify the liability and documentation requirements that apply to nurse triage advice, including when to advise calling emergency services
Your checkpoint
A scored log of 20 nurse triage scenarios with disposition, rationale, and corrections noted
Medical dispatch & Nurse triage
Compare medical dispatch determinant selection with nurse triage disposition logic and note where the two overlap and diverge
Work through 15 mixed scenarios that require deciding whether a call belongs to medical dispatch or nurse triage and justify the routing
Review your weakest scenario logs from weeks 2 and 5 and rework every item you answered incorrectly
Draft a personal error-pattern list documenting recurring mistakes and the correction for each
Your checkpoint
A mixed-domain routing log of 15 scenarios plus a written error-pattern list with corrections
Fire dispatch & Police dispatch
Compare fire and police dispatch prioritization logic and note where urgency criteria differ
Work through 15 mixed scenarios that require deciding whether a call belongs to fire or police dispatch and justify the routing
Review your weakest scenario logs from weeks 3 and 4 and rework every item you answered incorrectly
Practice relaying safety-critical information under time pressure using written scenarios with a timer
Your checkpoint
A mixed-domain routing log of 15 scenarios plus timed safety-relay practice notes
Medical dispatch & Fire dispatch & Police dispatch & Nurse triage
Complete a full-length timed practice assessment covering all four domains and record your score per domain
Review every missed item across all domains and write the corrected reasoning for each
Revisit your error-pattern list and confirm each pattern is resolved or flagged for continued review
Build a final one-page quick-reference sheet summarizing the decision criteria for each domain
Your checkpoint
A full practice assessment score report by domain plus a completed one-page quick-reference sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can select a defensible determinant level for a written medical scenario and explain the reasoning without reference notes
Week 4: Can assign incident type and resource level for a fire scenario and priority level for a police scenario, each with a written justification
Week 6: Can route a mixed scenario to medical dispatch or nurse triage correctly and explain the distinction
Week 8: Full practice assessment completed with per-domain scores recorded and every missed item reworked in writing