Top Comm Center Headlines
Why doesn’t Israel have emergency dispatchers? (Isreal)
There have been several laws unsuccessfully proposed to found a single, unified rescue body; many argue that it could have rescued the young couple who drowned in a stuck elevator on January 4. After two people drowned in a flooded elevator during a disastrous storm...
Fire forces ambulance dispatchers to evacuate (Canada)
Frontenac Paramedics assisted their Kingston Central Ambulance Communications Centre dispatchers alongside Kingston Fire and Rescue after a fire was discovered in the garage of their building early Thursday morning. The dispatchers and the rest of the occupants of...
Mississauga to push province to punish those who misuse 9-1-1 (Canada)
Many people have been calling for harsher repercussions for those who call the 9-1-1 emergency line to complain about everything from Amber Alerts to missed trains to incorrect restaurant orders—and now the City of Mississauga has passed a motion to formally call on...
Dispatcher talked Berlin caller through CPR (MA)
BERLIN - A dispatcher with the Nashoba Valley Dispatch Center is being credited with helping talk a caller through lifesaving measures until medical help could arrive. On Thursday, Jan. 9, at 6:51 p.m., Dispatcher Danielle Haas received a 911 hang-up call. When she...
Knowing when it is appropriate to call 9-1-1 (IA)
MASON CITY, Iowa - It's bound to happen sooner or later. Your car spins out into a ditch. Should you call 9-1-1 or not? If you aren't hurt and don't need the police to help you, it might just be a good idea to call a tow company directly, to avoid tying up the...
Shortage of Dracut dispatchers leads call center to outsource 911 calls (MA)
DRACUT — Residents received no advance notice that the town’s police dispatch call center was in “crisis mode,” and would not answer 911 calls for seven consecutive nights, according to Police Chief Peter Bartlett. From midnight to 8 a.m. the week of Jan. 4 to 11,...
Report: St. Paul Police, Dispatchers Experiencing Serious Staffing Shortage (MN)
A St. Paul Police Department staffing study — which can be reviewed in full below — recommends hiring more than 100 additional officers and civilian staff, as well as restructuring several investigative units to keep pace with growing caseloads. The 250-page document...
Gregg County holds hiring event to fill 911 dispatcher vacancies (TX)
GREGG COUNTY, Texas (KETK) – Longview Police and Fire held a joint hiring event today to address the need for more first responders. The public safety manager said 911 dispatch operators are the first line of communication between the public and public servants....
Elyria Police Department to swear-in five new officers, new dispatcher (OH)
The Police Department also announced that Casey L. Nowak, 33, of Amherst will become a dispatcher. Nowak recently was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy. Once these police recruit's successfully complete their training, it will put the Police Department at a...
RapidDeploy’s New Native Mobile Applications Ring in New Era for First Responders
In every part of our lives, we have access to real-time data at our fingertips, but once we put on our uniforms it seems like we go back in time and fly blind, depending on audio from a PSAP far removed from the action. RapidDeploy’s mission is to reduce emergency response times and increase responder safety by improving situational awareness.
Adams County 9-1-1 Board looks at future funding needs (IL)
When You have an emergency, medical or otherwise, you call 9-1-1 for help. Funding to make that happen may be something you take for granted and local officials are looking at funding to keep a local 9-1-1 center here in Adams County viable. Wednesday night, the Joint...
Douglas County offering option to text 9-1-1 in an emergency (NV)
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Douglas County announced a new 9-1-1 texting service so residents can “Call if you can – Text if you can’t” during an emergency. The county said people who are deaf or hard of hearing or those who are in a situation...
Couple Meets Dispatcher Who Talked Them Through At-Home Birth Of Daughter (CO)
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (CBS4) – A husband and wife in Westminster can now laugh about the unplanned home birth of their second daughter. Though frantic, it happened smoothly thanks to the guidance of a city dispatcher. Five-week-old Claire Kit Riddle is as healthy and...
Hamilton County Emergency Communications District Board Chairman Don Allen Retires (TN)
The Hamilton County Emergency Communications District announced the retirement of Chairman Don Allen from the board of directors of the district effective Jan. 9. Mr. Allen began his service to the board in 1986 while the director of Hamilton County Emergency...
Local dispatchers win state award (FL)
TAMPA — Two members of the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office received statewide recognition this week. At the Florida Sheriffs Association Winter Conference, Public Safety Telecommunicators Brittany Wheeler and Taylor McCathern of the SCSO were named the 2020...
Texas Roadhouse cooks for Spokane dispatchers ahead of opening (WA)
SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane Police Department is thanking Texas Roadhouse after an act of kindness filled the heart – and bellies – of local dispatchers. Police posted on Facebook that Texas Roadhouse staff working to open the new location in North Spokane brought...
Firefighters build wheelchair ramp for dispatcher (OK)
TULSA, Okla. — A group of Tulsa firefighters are going beyond the call of duty. A crew decided to build one of their fire dispatchers a wheelchair ramp after she had part of her leg amputated following a car crash last year. Firefighters say she had steps by her front...
Contract would increase pay for emergency dispatchers in Meriden (CT)
MERIDEN — City officials hope wage increases included in a newly proposed three-year labor agreement with the city’s emergency dispatchers will help the city attract and retain employees at the city’s dispatch center. The salary range Meriden has offered to...
Apple Watch emergency settings causing more 9-1-1 hang-ups, can save lives (WI)
The Eau Claire county communications center says it is having major issues with people calling 9-1-1 and hanging up. But as First News at Nine’s, Jonathan Fortier, shows us technology – like the Apple Watch – is making the number of hang-up calls even higher. The...
Florida Sheriff’s Association Dispatchers of The Year Brittany Wheeler and Taylor McCathern Honored.
Congratulation to Brittany and Taylor for receiving the Florida Sheriff's Association Dispatcher of the year award at the FSA Winter Conference. https://youtu.be/-s4hcAX7ggk
Opinions
There’s a hero on the other end of a 9-1-1 call (Opinion) (NJ)
Since December 2015, I've had the honor and privilege to recognize our local law enforcement members every Friday on what we call #BlueFriday. Toady, I got a call from a local Jersey resident who asked if we'd make a special mention of 9-1-1 dispatchers. What a...
2020 is the year when vertical location becomes a reality for public safety
Last spring, we outlined how 3D location can increase situational awareness and improve operational efficiency for public safety responders. At the time, this was a somewhat hypothetical scenario as 3D location technology had been proven but not yet implemented. Since then 3D location capability has been available to application developers through an over-the-top capability.
Why Are You Here?
I recall sitting in a 911 center recruitment session and recruiters talking to me about the lifesaving work of a 911 dispatcher. They explained the job duties, job responsibilities, job demands, and even the job stress. “Wow,” I thought. “I can do this. I can help people.”
Silver Lining
Crime statistics involving firearms, domestic violence, sexual assaults, active shooter events, and workplace violence fill our news headlines. Particularly troubling is the instance of officer-involved shootings, especially those resulting in the death of a civilian.
Quality Dispatch
The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch® (IAED™) has determined that quality is “conformance to requirements,” according to the Performance Standards 10th Edition, but who determines what is required?
Raising Awareness
Charles Clampett
One of my passions for the past 15 years has been helping to raise the awareness of my peers with regard to critical incident stress (CIS): the causes, symptoms, and healthy mitigation techniques.
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