MERS

Contact

Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH)
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division 
45 Elm Street
Buffalo, NY 14203 
24-Hour Dispatch: 716-898-3696 
24-Hour Medical Direction 716-858-MERS (6377) 
DIAL 911 IN AN EMERGENCY 
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About the Medical Emergency Radio System (MERS)        

MERS is part of ECDOH Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division.  Some of the responsibilities of MERS Control include:  

• Dispatch Center for the newly formed Erie County Ambulance Service and the Erie County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
• Coordinates Ambulance responses for the City of Buffalo, NY State Thruway throughout Erie County, and the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BNIA)
• Coordinates countywide ambulance-to-hospital Medical Emergency Radio System (MERS)
• Acts as the after-hours answering point for the Erie County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Erie County Department of Health, Erie County Hazardous Materials/WMD Response Team (ECHMRT), and Erie County Regional Technical Rescue Team
• Dispatch emergency ambulance calls for the City of Buffalo and coordinates the county-wide radio frequencies on a daily basis and in time of actual or potential disaster situations.

Learn more about MERS.

858-MERS Program

The Erie County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Division of EMS is partnering with area hospitals to create an efficient and simple means of communication with Medical Direction through the use of (716) 858 MERS (6377). This single phone number will place the providers seeking Medical Direction in contact with ADI/MERS, who will facilitate connecting providers to Medical Direction and all conversations will be recorded. By presenting this singular solution we hope to minimize the time needed to contact and receive additional medical direction during time of high stress. The following procedure will be implemented effective immediately:

• Providers needing medical direction from a physician will call (716) 858-MERS (6377).
• MERS dispatchers will answer and ask what facility you would like medical direction from.
• The provider will be transferred immediately to the selected facility; upon being connected to medical direction the MERS dispatcher will disconnect from the line.

Your cooperation with this project will allow for ADI/MERS to provide a central coordination for the distribution of communications between pre-hospital care providers and different healthcare facilities throughout the County of Erie, New York. Please direct any question you might to the Erie County Division of EMS offices (716) 681-6070.

911 System

• When to Call 911 and When Not to Call 911